Africa Western and Central: Communications, computer, etc. (% of service imports, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Africa Western and Central's communications, computer, etc. (% of service imports, BoP) rose 0.84 percentage points on 2023 (from 39.77% to 40.61%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2023), the average change was +0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.02 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 11.63 percentage points in 1993 and the biggest yearly fall was 10.45 percentage points in 2003. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Communications, computer, information, and other services cover international telecommunications; computer data; news-related service transactions between residents and nonresidents; construction services; royalties and license fees; miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services; personal, cultural, and recreational services; manufacturing services on physical inputs owned by others; and maintenance and repair services and government services not included elsewhere. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are services provided by non-residents to residents.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 47 values

Communications, computer, etc. (% of service imports, BoP) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 16.29% (2020)
• Algeria — 38.04% (2025)
• Bahrain — 19.73% (2025)
• Djibouti — 7.12% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 26.14% (2025)
• Iraq — 14.37% (2025)
• Israel — 61.43% (2025)
• Jordan — 6.11% (2024)
• Kuwait — 5.34% (2025)
• Lebanon

More economic policy & debt data for Africa Western and Central

• GDP (current US$) — US$852.53 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$991.22 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$1,600 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$1,860 (2025)
• GDP (annual % growth) — 4.6% (2025)
• GDP per capita (annual % growth) — 2.21% (2025)
• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — US$21.54 billion (2025)
• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) — 2.53% (2025)
• Short-term debt (% of total reserves) — 46.6% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Africa Western and Central's communications, computer, etc. (% of service imports, BoP)?

40.61% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1977?

It is down 3.27 percentage points from 43.88% in 1977. The highest value was 52.8% in 2002 and the lowest 31.52% in 2008.

Is the latest change in communications, computer, etc. (% of service imports, BoP) unusual for Africa Western and Central?

In 2024, Africa Western and Central's communications, computer, etc. (% of service imports, BoP) rose 0.84 percentage points on 2023 (from 39.77% to 40.61%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2023), the average change was +0.24 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.02 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.GSR.CMCP.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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