Deepening Africa's Financial Markets

Africa | Emerging Markets Regional Review
African economies are well on their way to transforming the region’s status from a frontier to an emerging market. The IMF predicts Africa will grow by 5.8% in 2015, up from 5.1% this year, with Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique projected to growth over 8%.

 
 
Source
Central bank

Bank of Central African States

International Reserves

USD 0.15 billion (2018)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019

Gross Domestic Product - GDP

USD 10.9 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

Intl$ 30.2 billion (2018, estimate)

Real GDP growth
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
3.3% 3.1% 4.1% 13.6% 0.1% 8.8% 5.8%
2014 2015 2016 2017* 2019*    
6.9% 1.8% -6.4% -3.1% 3.1%    

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current prices

USD 874.2 (2018, estimate)

GDP per capita - PPP

Intl$ 2,415.3 (2018, estimate)

GDP (PPP) - share of world total
1980 1990 2000 2010 2019*
0.02% 0.02% 0.02% 0.03% 0.02%

*Estimate

 
 
Source
GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 44.8% 
  • industry: 14.3% 
  • services: 37.6%

(2018 estimate)

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP)

N/A

 

Inflation
2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019*
4.8% -1.6% -0.9% 4% 3%

*Estimate

Unemployment rate
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

Household saving rates

N/A

 

Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019*
43.9% 51.5% 49.8% 48.3% 44.7%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019*
-4.4% -1.9% -0.2% 1.9% 0.3%

*Estimate

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: N/A

Moody's: N/A

Standard & Poor's / Moody's 

Market value of publicly traded shares
2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A
Largest companies

N/A

 
 
Source
Current account balance

USD -0.4 billion (2018 estimate)

Current account balance by percentage of GDP

-3.4 % (2018 estimate)

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)

35.9% (2018)

Shares in world total merchandising export

0.01% (2018)

Shares in world total commercial services export

0.004% (2015)

Total exports

USD 3.3 billion (2015)

Export commodities

Oil, livestock, cotton, sesame, gum arabic, shea butter

Total imports

USD 5.0 billion (2015 estimate)

 
 
Source
Import commodities

Machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles

Exports - major partners

US 38.7%, China 16.6%, Netherlands 15.7%, UAE 12.2%, India 6.3% (2017)

Imports - major partners

China 19.9%, Cameroon 17.2%, France 17%, US 5.4%, India 4.9%, Senegal 4.5% (2017)

FDI inflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 245 million USD 335 million USD 662 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2015 2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014

N/A

Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015

N/A

Best countries for doing business

Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

182 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 186 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 174 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 180 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 131 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 152 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 170 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 188 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 173 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 153 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 155 out of 190 countries

Global competitiveness ranking

141 out of 141 countries

(2019)

Index of Economic Freedom

Ranking: 159 / Score: 49.9 (Repressed)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

 
 
Source
Time zone

UTC+1

Total area

1,284,000 million sq km

Capital

N'Djamena

Currency

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF)

Government type

Presidential republic

Languages

French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects

Religions

Muslim 52.1%, Protestant 23.9%, Roman Catholic 20%, animist 0.3%, other Christian 0.2%, none 2.8%, unspecified 0.7% (2014-15 est.)

Total population
1990 2000 2010* 2015* 2020*
5.65 million 7.48 million 10.22 million 11.57 million 13.12 million

*Estimate

 
 
Source
Urban population as % of total population
1960 1980 2000 2018
6.7% 18.8% 21.6% 23.1%
Population median age

15.8 years 

Population growth rate

3.23% (2018 estimate)

Life expectancy

57.5 years (2018 estimate)

Literacy

Total population: 22.3% 
Male: 31.3% 
Female: 14%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write french or arabic (2016 est.)

% of population living on less than $3.10 a day

66.5% (last available estimate, 2011)

Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

43.3 (last available estimate, 2011)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)

Freedom House rating

Not Free
Political Rights: 7
Civil Liberties: 6 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)

Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population

Fixed: 0.1%

Mobile: 45.1%

(2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population

6.5 % (2017)

Mercer Cost of living index

N'Djamena: 11th (2019)

CO2 emissions

0.05 metric tons per capita (2014)