Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Net financial flows, bilateral (NFL, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s net financial flows, bilateral (NFL, current US$) fell US$1.81 billion on 2023 (from US$1.64 billion to −US$170.66 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +US$7.27 million and a typical year strayed about US$2.06 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below 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 US$5.63 billion in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was US$4.81 billion in 2019. 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 the straight-line trend is downward, about US$1.06 billion a year. A straight line explains 80% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

What this measures

Bilateral debt includes loans from governments and their agencies (including central banks), loans from autonomous bodies, and direct loans from official export credit agencies. Net flows (or net lending or net disbursements) received by the borrower during the year are disbursements minus principal repayments. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

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

All 55 values

Net financial flows, bilateral (NFL, current US$) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — US$0 (2023)
• Algeria — −US$23.8 million (2024)
• Djibouti — −US$17.73 million (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$8.59 million (2024)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — −US$18.32 million (2024)
• Iraq — −US$1.29 billion (2024)
• Jordan — US$129.28 million (2024)
• Lebanon — −US$58,441 (2024)
• Morocco — US$506.17 million (2024)
• Pakistan

More economic policy & debt data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)

• Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) — US$3.07 billion (2025)
• Portfolio equity, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — −US$472.27 million (2025)
• GDP (current US$) — US$2.21 trillion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$2.13 trillion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$1,671 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$1,614 (2025)
• GDP (annual % growth) — 4.14% (2025)
• GDP per capita (annual % growth) — 1.64% (2025)

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Questions people ask

What is Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s net financial flows, bilateral (NFL, current US$)?

−US$170.66 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 145.2% from US$377.6 million in 1970. The highest value was US$10.21 billion in 2018 and the lowest −US$4.53 billion in 2006.

Is the latest change in net financial flows, bilateral (NFL, current US$) unusual for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?

In 2024, Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s net financial flows, bilateral (NFL, current US$) fell US$1.81 billion on 2023 (from US$1.64 billion to −US$170.66 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +US$7.27 million and a typical year strayed about US$2.06 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below 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 DT.NFL.BLAT.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) 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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