Frontier Markets Report: Côte d’Ivoire

RETURN TO GLORY?
​Côte d’Ivoire has the opportunity to regain its status as a leading African economy. Blessed with a wealth of natural resources, a pleasant climate, a strategical location and a level of infrastructure unrivaled in West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire was long recognized as one of the continent postcolonial stars.

 
 
Source
Central bank

Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO)

International Reserves

N/A

Gross Domestic Product - GDP

USD 43.0 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

Intl$ 107.0 billion (2018, estimate)

Real GDP growth
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
1.8% 2.5% 3.3% 2% -4.9% 10.9% 9.3%
2014 2015 2016* 2017* 2018*    
8.8% 8.8% 8% 7.7% 7.4%    

*Estimate

GDP per capita - current prices

USD 1,680.4 (2018, estimate)

GDP per capita - PPP

Intl$ 4,177.6 (2018, estimate)

GDP (PPP) - share of world total
0.08% (2019, estimate)
 
 
Source
GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 19.8% 
  • industry: 25.2% 
  • services: 32.6%

(2018 estimate)

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

N/A

 

Inflation
2015 2016 2017* 2018* 2019*
1.2% 0.7% 0.7% 0.4% 1%

*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*
47.3% 48.4% 49.8% 53.2% 52.7%

*Estimate

Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017 2018* 2019*
-2.8% -4% -4.5% -4% -3%

*Estimate

Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: N/A

Moody's: Ba3

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 -2.0 billion (2018 estimate)

Current account balance by percentage of GDP

-4.7 % (2018 estimate)

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

29.8% (2018)

Shares in world total merchandising export

0.06% (2018)

Shares in world total commercial services export

0.02% (2018)

Total exports

USD 13.3 billion (2018 estimate)

Export commodities

Cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish

Total imports

USD 12.4 billion (2018 estimate)

 
 
Source
Import commodities

Fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs

Exports - major partners

Netherlands 11.8%, US 7.9%, France 6.4%, Belgium 6.4%, Germany 5.8%, Burkina Faso 4.5%, India 4.4%, Mali 4.2% (2017)

Imports - major partners

Nigeria 15%, France 13.4%, China 11.3%, US 4.3% (2017)

FDI inflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 577 million USD 973 million USD 913 million
FDI outflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 29 million USD 674million USD 318 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2015 2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A USD -21 million 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:

110 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 29 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 152 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 141 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 112 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 48 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 120 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 114 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 163 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 94 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 85 out of 190 countries
World Bank - Doing Business 2019

Global competitiveness ranking

118 out of 141 countries (2019)

Index of Economic Freedom

Ranking: 78 / Score: 62.4 (Moderately free)

(2019)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

 
 
Source
Time zone

UTC 0

Total area

322,463 sq km

Capital

Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative capital); note - although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the administrative capital as well as the officially designated economic capital; the US, like oth

Currency

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) 

Government type

Presidential republic

Languages

French (official), 60 native dialects of which Dioula is the most widely spoken

Religions

Muslim 42.9%, Catholic 17.2%, Evangelical 11.8%, Methodist 1.7%, other Christian 3.2%, animist 3.6%, other religion 0.5%, none 19.1% (2014 est.)Note: the majority of foreign migrant workers are Muslim (72%) and Christian (18%) (2014 est.)

Total population
1990 2000 2010 2015* 2020*
11.25 million 16.13 million 20.86 million 23.71 million 26.96 million

*Estimate

 
 
Source
Urban population as % of total population
1960 1980 2000 2018
17.7% 36.8% 43.2% 50.8%
Population median age

19.9 years

Population growth rate

2.3% (2018 estimate)

Life expectancy

60.1 years (2018 estimate)

Literacy

Total population: 43.1% 
Male: 53.1% 
Female: 32.5%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

% of population living on less than $3.10 a day

57.4% (last available estimate, 2015)

Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

41.5 (last available estimate, 2015)

Freedom House rating

Partly Free
Political Rights: 4
Civil Liberties: 4 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)

Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population

Fixed: 1.2% Mobile: 134.9% (2018) 
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)

Internet users as % of total population

46.82 % (2018)

Mercer Cost of living index

Abidjan: 30st (2019)

CO2 emissions

0.49 metric tons per capita (2014)

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