10 African countries with the least healthy economies in 2024
A weak economy entails broad and complex consequences for African countries.
High unemployment, inadequate healthcare and education systems, rising poverty and inequality, decreased foreign investment, weaker governance, failing infrastructure, and stifled technological and industrial progress are just a few of the consequences.
Certain African economies are expected to perform very well this year when based on its real GDP growth, however, some fail to fall into this category.
Africa’s economic outlook is positive due to several factors. The African Development Bank (AfDB) projects that Africa on average will recover from the economic shocks that have stunted the growth of their economy. The continent is expected to grow at the second-fastest rate behind Asia.
The Bank’s most recent economic forecast report, Driving Africa’s Transformation: The Reform of the Global Financial Architecture, supports this.
While the cumulative average seems delightful, it doesn’t necessarily tell the entire tale. Some countries in the region are on the opposite side of the spectrum.
These countries are projected to have the lowest positive outlooks expressed as real GDP growth and below are ten of the lowest.
Since real GDP growth measures the increase in the value of goods and services produced in an economy after taking inflation into account, it is a crucial indication of an economy’s performance.
“The growth rate of real GDP is often used as an indicator of the general health of the economy,” according to the International Monetary Fund.
| Rank | Country | Real GDP growth (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sudan | -5.9 |
| 2. | South Sudan | -5.0 |
| 3. | Equatorial Guinea | -5.0 |
| 4. | São Tomé and Príncipe | 1.2 |
| 5. | South Africa | 1.3 |
| 6. | Lesotho | 1.7 |
| 7. | Zimbabwe | 2.0 |
| 8. | Tunisia | 2.1 |
| 9. | Central African Rep. | 2.3 |
| 10. | Namibia | 2.6 |
