Sub-Saharan Africa
Typology of Countries
IMF Data Mapper®

October 2023

The data and projections cover 45 sub-Saharan African countries. Countries are aggregated into four (overlapping) groups: oil exporters, middle-income, low-income, and countries in fragile and conflict-affected situations (see table A1).

The membership of these groups reflects the most recent data on per capita gross national income (averaged over three years) and the World Bank, Classification of Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations.

  • The oil exporters are countries where net oil exports make up 30 percent or more of total exports. Except for Angola, Nigeria, and South Sudan, they belong to the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC).
  • The middle-income countries had per capita gross national income in the years 2019-22 of more than US$1,135.00 (World Bank, Atlas method).
  • The low-income countries had average per capita gross national income in the years 2019-22 equal to or lower than US$1,135.00 (World Bank, Atlas method).
  • The countries in fragile and conflict-affected situations are classified based on the World Bank, Classification of Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations, FY2023

Countries are also grouped as "Resource-intensive countries" and "Non-resource intensive countries" (see table A2).

Table A1

Table A2

CFA Franc Zone

West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU)

Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC)

East African Community (*EAC-5)

Southern African Development community (SADC)

Southern African Customs Union (SACU)

Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

Oil-Importing Countries



CFA Franc Zone

Benin
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Central African Rep.
Chad
Congo, Republic of
Côte d'Ivoire

Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Guinea-Bissau
Mali
Niger
Senegal
Togo



West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU)

Benin
Burkina Faso
Côte d'Ivoire
Guinea-Bissau

Mali
Niger
Senegal
Togo



Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC)

Cameroon
Central African Rep.
Chad

Congo, Republic of
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon



East African Community (*EAC-5)

*Burundi
*Kenya
*Rwanda

South Sudan
*Tanzania
*Uganda



Southern African Development community (SADC)

Angola
Botswana
Comoros
Congo, Dem. Rep. of
Eswatini
Lesotho
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique

Namibia
Seychelles
South Africa
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe



Southern African Customs Union (SACU)

Botswana
Eswatini
Lesotho

Namibia
South Africa



Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

Burundi
Comoros
Congo, Dem. Rep. of
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Kenya
Madagascar
Malawi

Mauritius
Rwanda
Seychelles
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe



Oil-Importing Countries

Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cape Verde
Central African Rep.
Comoros
Congo, Dem. Rep. of
Côte d'Ivoire
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gambia, The
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar

Malawi
Mali
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Rwanda
São Tomé & Príncipe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe