Sub-Saharan Africa: Primary income receipts (BoP, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Sub-Saharan Africa's primary income receipts (BoP, current US$) fell 11.2% on 2023 (from US$39.23 billion to US$34.85 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2023), the average change was +9.9% and a typical year strayed about 21.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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 60.5% in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 31.9% in 2009. 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 upward, about US$1.95 billion a year. A straight line explains 84% 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 US$40.53 billion for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was US$4.3 billion, against US$6.74 billion 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.

What this measures

Primary income receipts refer to employee compensation paid to resident workers working abroad and investment income (receipts on direct investment, portfolio investment, other investments, and receipts on reserve assets). This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

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

All 41 values

Primary income receipts (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — US$240.4 million (2020)
• Algeria — US$3.04 billion (2025)
• Bahrain — US$6.01 billion (2025)
• Djibouti — US$274.31 million (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$2.97 billion (2025)
• Iraq — US$3.53 billion (2025)
• Israel — US$25.9 billion (2025)
• Jordan — US$2.09 billion (2024)
• Kuwait — US$43.13 billion (2025)
• Lebanon — US$858.26 million (2023)

More economic policy & debt data for Sub-Saharan Africa

• Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) — US$3.07 billion (2025)
• Portfolio equity, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — −US$459.34 million (2025)
• GDP (current US$) — US$2.21 trillion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$2.13 trillion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$1,673 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$1,615 (2025)
• GDP (annual % growth) — 4.14% (2025)
• GDP per capita (annual % growth) — 1.64% (2025)
• Charges for the use of intellectual property, receipts (BoP, current US$) — US$473.66 million (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Sub-Saharan Africa's primary income receipts (BoP, current US$)?

US$34.85 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1982?

It is up 1,632% from US$2.01 billion in 1982 (7.03% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$39.23 billion in 2023 and the lowest US$2.01 billion in 1982.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BX.GSR.FCTY.CD, 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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