Sub-Saharan Africa's energy imports, net (% of energy use) was -28.13% in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 37.24 percentage points from -65.37% in 2012.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | -28.13% | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | -50.81% | 2017 |
| Ten years earlier | -65.37% | 2012 |
| Highest | -28.13% | 2022 |
| Lowest | -95.32% | 2006 |
| Average since 2013 | -46.67% | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | -61.29% | 1990 |
What the numbers say
In 2022, Sub-Saharan Africa's energy imports, net (% of energy use) rose 1.57 percentage points on 2021 (from -29.7% to -28.13%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +1.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.77 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 16.86 percentage points in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 12.91 percentage points in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 3.36 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 88% 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.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about -21.36% for 2025. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2020 to 2022 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 3.53%, against 12.53% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-Saharan Africa | -28.13% | 2022 |
| World | 14.61% | 2023 |
What this measures
Net energy imports are estimated as gross imports less gross exports, both measured in tons of oil equivalents (toe). A negative value indicates that the country is a net exporter. Energy use refers to use of primary energy before transformation to other end-use fuels, which is equal to indigenous production plus imports and stock changes, minus exports and fuels supplied to ships and aircraft engaged in international transport.
Limitations: The IEA makes these estimates in consultation with national statistical offices, oil companies, electric utilities, and national energy experts. The IEA occasionally revises its time series to reflect political changes, and energy statistics undergo continual changes in coverage or methodology as more detailed energy accounts become available. Breaks in series are therefore unavoidable.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 33 values
| Year | Energy imports, net (% of energy use) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | -28.13 |
| 2021 | -29.7 |
| 2020 | -40.74 |
| 2019 | -45.39 |
| 2018 | -50.71 |
| 2017 | -50.81 |
| 2016 | -49.15 |
| 2015 | -57.88 |
| 2014 | -54.79 |
| 2013 | -59.43 |
| 2012 |
Energy imports, net (% of energy use) in nearby economies
More environment data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 25.39% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 16.33% (2025)
- Rural population — 731.42 million (2025)
- Rural population (% of total population) — 55.34% (2025)
- Urban population — 590.23 million (2025)
- Urban population (% of total population) — 44.66% (2025)
- Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 904,661 (2024)
- Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 8.8 million (2024)
- Total fisheries production (metric tons)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Sub-Saharan Africa's energy imports, net (% of energy use)?
- -28.13% in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1990?
- It is up 33.16 percentage points from -61.29% in 1990. The highest value was -28.13% in 2022 and the lowest -95.32% in 2006.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EG.IMP.CONS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser, publisher: International Energy Agency (IEA), date accessed: 2025-03-25 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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