Total natural resources rents in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Total natural resources rents was 10.0% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
10.0%
Change on year
up 66.5%
Rank
11th
of 47 groups
All-time high
18.3%
in 2008
All-time low
3.9%
in 1971
Years of data
52
1970–2021

Total natural resources rents in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970–2021

5101520197019952021

Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2021, total natural resources rents in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 10.0%.

That represents a change of up 66.5% on the previous year and down 35.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total natural resources rents in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 18.3% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 1971.

That places Sub-Saharan Africa 11th out of 47 groups with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.

Total natural resources rents in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Total natural resources rents (% of GDP) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1970 to 2021.
Year % of GDP Change
1970 4.3%
1971 3.9% -9.2%
1972 4.1% +3.0%
1973 5.7% +40.5%
1974 12.5% +118.6%
1975 9.7% -21.8%
1976 9.9% +1.6%
1977 11.6% +16.9%
1978 9.3% -19.5%
1979 17.7% +89.7%
1980 15.1% -14.4%
1981 7.2% -52.6%
1982 6.4% -10.4%
1983 7.5% +17.1%
1984 7.5% +0.0%
1985 9.4% +25.0%
1986 7.1% -24.4%
1987 7.9% +11.6%
1988 8.2% +2.9%
1989 10.5% +28.0%
1990 10.7% +2.4%
1991 8.3% -22.9%
1992 9.3% +12.3%
1993 11.1% +19.6%
1994 11.2% +1.5%
1995 12.3% +9.5%
1996 13.1% +6.7%
1997 11.7% -11.1%
1998 8.5% -27.3%
1999 6.7% -20.5%
2000 10.9% +61.6%
2001 9.6% -12.3%
2002 9.4% -1.4%
2003 9.3% -2.0%
2004 10.2% +9.8%
2005 12.7% +24.9%
2006 13.1% +3.6%
2007 14.2% +8.2%
2008 18.3% +29.0%
2009 10.7% -41.8%
2010 12.9% +21.1%
2011 15.5% +19.8%
2012 13.6% -12.0%
2013 11.7% -14.4%
2014 9.6% -17.4%
2015 6.4% -33.8%
2016 6.8% +7.1%
2017 8.3% +21.7%
2018 8.6% +3.7%
2019 7.7% -10.8%
2020 6.0% -21.6%
2021 10.0% +66.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 8.9% 3.9% 17.7% 10
1980s 8.7% 6.4% 15.1% 10
1990s 10.3% 6.7% 13.1% 10
2000s 11.8% 9.3% 18.3% 10
2010s 10.1% 6.4% 15.5% 10
2020s 8.0% 6.0% 10.0% 2

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 8 Mongolia 33.1% compare
  2. 9 Iran, Islamic Republic of 30.4% compare
  3. 10 Angola 30.0% compare
  4. 11 Azerbaijan 29.9% compare
  5. 12 Kuwait 29.3% compare
  6. 13 Oman 29.2% compare
  7. 14 Papua New Guinea 27.4% compare

See the full ranking of 262 places →

More energy & mining data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is total natural resources rents in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Total natural resources rents in Sub-Saharan Africa was 10.0% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB).
What is the highest total natural resources rents recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 2008.
What is the lowest total natural resources rents recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 1971.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for total natural resources rents?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th out of 47 groups with data for 2021.
Is total natural resources rents rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 35.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB), published as part of Total natural resources rents (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Total natural resources rents in Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB). Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://energy.statizoid.com/stat/total-natural-resources-rents-percent-of-gdp/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Total natural resources rents (% of GDP)
Unit
% of GDP
Source
The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank (WB)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
262 places, 11,682 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents (hard and soft), mineral rents, and forest rents.