Orange County Register

South Africa vs. the rest

The 47 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have a total of 743 million inhabitants, about as many as the EU and the United States combined. However, the region accounts for only a small part of the world economy.

We wonder: What percentage of sub-Saharan Africa’s economy is accounted for by one single country, South Africa?

Answers:

A. 11 percent

B. 18 percent

C. 35 percent

D. 62 percent

Continue reading for the answers …

A. 11 percent is not correct.
Currently, sub-Saharan Africa accounts for about 11 percent of the global population of 6.7 billion people.

By 2050, the region’s share is expected to increase to 19 percent. In fact, sub-Saharan Africa is projected to account for over one-third of all world population growth by 2050.
While the region is currently experiencing economic growth averaging 5-6 percent, per capita income stands at only $840 (or $1,990, if adjusted for purchasing power). Almost half of all people in sub-Saharan Africa still live on less than $1 a day.
B. 18 percent is not correct.
Nigeria, with 132 million people, is Africa’s most populous country – and accounts for 18 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population. At $148 billion, the country also has the region’s second-largest economy.
Other relatively large economies in the region are Angola, Sudan and Kenya.
In total, sub-Saharan Africa’s economic output is $1.48 trillion – comparable to that of Russia, about one-eighth that of the United States and equal to 3 percent of world GDP.
C. 35 percent is correct.
One country – South Africa – generates 35 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s total economic output. The country, which has a GDP of about $521 billion (according to the World Bank), accounts for only about 6 percent of the region’s population.
However, even with South Africa’s relatively high income, its per capita GDP – at $11,000 – is only one-third that of major industrialized countries.
D. 62 percent is not correct.
The ten most populous sub-Saharan African countries (excluding South Africa) are Nigeria, Ethiopia, Congo, Tanzania, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Mozambique and Madagascar.
Together, they have 62 percent of the region’s population – nearly ten times South Africa’s share. And yet at $513 billion, their collective GDP is less than the output of South Africa, the region’s economic powerhouse.
________

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