Africa Data Blog

A practical guide to the best sources for African macroeconomic data — from the World Bank WDI to IMF WEO, national statistical offices and structured platforms. What each covers, where the gaps are, and how to choose the right source.

Nigeria's GDP per capita tells you almost nothing about the Nigerian market. This article explains why sub-national income distribution data changes the picture for strategy, investment and development research across Africa.

Africa receives more in remittances than in FDI from most donors — yet costs remain among the highest in the world. Data on 365+ Africa corridors, cost trends from 2011 to 2025, and what drives the most expensive routes.

Standard global forecasting models produce systematically wrong results for African economies — implausible unemployment trajectories, inflation floors that don't fit CFA zone countries, GDP forecasts that stop too early. Here's what we built instead.

Lagos and Kano have almost identical national Gini coefficients but completely different income distributions. Lagos is more equal than Nigeria as a whole; Kano is close to the national figure but has almost no middle class. City-level data tells a story national averages can't.

Every income and GDP figure in our database comes in three currencies. Using the wrong one for a given question doesn't just produce a slightly-off number — it can flip the conclusion. Here's when each applies, with worked examples and local currency conversion.

Most income classification schemes are invented. Ours is anchored directly to World Bank's own international poverty lines — $3.65, $5.50 and $15 per day. Includes a worked validation example using real Angola data, gaps included.

Four of the world's most unequal economies sit in Southern Africa — yet Botswana, South Africa and Namibia rank among Africa's wealthiest by GDP per capita. Cape Town and Botshabelo are 140km apart but look nothing alike. We unpack what this means for market entry.