Top 10 African countries with the lowest GDP growth rate in 2025

Business Insider Africa presents the top 10 African countries with the lowest GDP growth rate in 2025.
This list is courtesy of the Africa Pulse report by the World Bank.
South Sudan ranks number 1 on the list.

The annual GDP growth rate is an important indication of a country's economic health. When this growth rate is low, it indicates significant structural and socioeconomic issues.

A low GDP growth rate can be especially damaging for African countries, which are already dealing with unemployment, poverty, poor infrastructure, and limited access to global markets.

Economic growth is vital for poverty alleviation. Countries with low GDP growth frequently struggle to produce the cash required to pay for social welfare programmes or invest in important sectors such as education and healthcare.

This condition disproportionately impacts the poor, expanding the gap between the wealthiest and the needy. Stagnant or declining living standards impede human growth and perpetuate poverty cycles.

A strong GDP growth rate often drives corporate expansion, raises investment, and generates new employment.

Conversely, a slow growth rate indicates that enterprises are less likely to expand or recruit, resulting in fewer job prospects.

A low growth rate in Africa, where the continent's population is expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2025, with a sizable proportion of young people, can severely impede the continent's ability to absorb its rapidly growing labor force.

Africa's relatively young population is one of the reasons cited why Africa has not so far seen the higher death rates AFP

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This not only increases youth unemployment but also fuels social unrest and migration.

Moreover, low growth reduces the quality of life and increases the incentive for irregular migration, placing further strain on social services and national development goals.

With that said, here are the 10 African countries with the highest GDP growth rate in 2025, according to the Africa Pulse report by the World Bank, which notes that economic activity in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to increase from 3.3% in 2024 to 3.5% in 2025 and 4.2% in 2026.

While the research demonstrates improvement, it also acknowledges that this growth will not be enough to address some of the continent's most pressing issues.