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54 country hubs with quick facts, economy, culture, travel and statistics.
16 countries in West Africa
BeninPorto-Novo · 14.9M (2026) · $19BBurkina FasoOuagadougou · 24.2M (2026) · $20BCabo VerdePraia · 520K (2026) · $2.0BCôte d'IvoireYamoussoukro · 32.9M (2026) · $79BGambiaBanjul · 2.8M (2026) · $2.7BGhanaAccra · 35.2M (2026) · $76BGuineaConakry · 15.1M (2026) · $23BGuinea-BissauBissau · 2.2M (2026) · $2.0BLiberiaMonrovia · 5.1M (2026) · $4.3BMaliBamako · 25.4M (2026) · $20BMauritaniaNouakchott · 5.3M (2026) · $10BNigerNiamey · 28.4M (2026) · $17BNigeriaAbuja · 238.6M (2026) · $363BSenegalDakar · 19.1M (2026) · $31BSierra LeoneFreetown · 8.6M (2026) · $4.0BTogoLomé · 9.6M (2026) · $9.0B
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Food, lifestyle, health, diaspora and the practical guides for living, working and moving across Africa.
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All reporting →This week on The360Africa
Economy · Data Story
Africa's single market, five years in: what actually changed
The AfCFTA promised one market of 1.4 billion people. We audited tariff schedules, port data and trade flows to see where the promise is landing.
Amina DialloPublished 28 Jul 2026Updated 4 Aug 2026 14 min read Fact-checked
Business · Article
The Lagos–Abidjan corridor is becoming West Africa's spine
A 1,000km highway, four borders and a customs union in progress. Inside the most consequential infrastructure project in the region.
Kwame OseiPublished 24 Jul 2026Updated 30 Jul 2026 11 min read Fact-checked
Technology · Article
African fintech's consolidation decade has begun
Funding is down, licences are harder, and the winners are buying. A map of the acquisitions reshaping payments across seven markets.
Chidi OkonkwoPublished 22 Jul 2026Updated 26 Jul 2026 9 min read Fact-checked
Travel · Travel Guide
Nairobi: the complete 2026 city guide
Where to stay, how to move, what things cost, and the neighbourhoods worth your time — written by people who live there.
Nadia BenaliPublished 14 Jul 2026Updated 2 Aug 2026 16 min read
Africa by the numbers
View Data CenterFigures you can check
Every statistic carries its reference year, source organisation and last-updated date, served from one central dataset.
- Population
- 1.58B+
- Projected population, 2026
- Source: United Nations Population Division · updated 2024-07-11
- Sovereign states
- 54
- Recognised African states covered, 2026
- Source: African Union · updated 2025-01-31
- Combined GDP
- $2.87T
- Nominal GDP, current prices, 2025
- Source: International Monetary Fund · updated 2025-04-22
- Living languages
- 2,000+
- Living languages catalogued in Africa, 2025
- Source: SIL International · updated 2025-02-21
- World Heritage Sites
- 150+
- UNESCO-inscribed properties in Africa, 2025
- Source: UNESCO · updated 2025-07-16
- Protected land
- 14%
- Share of African land under protection, 2025
- Source: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN · updated 2025-06-01
- Largest economy
- Egypt
- By nominal GDP, IMF estimate, 2025
- Source: International Monetary Fund · updated 2025-04-22
- Most populous country
- Nigeria
- Projected population, 2026
- Source: United Nations Population Division · updated 2024-07-11
The eight largest economies
Egypt
$396B GDP · 118.7M people (projected population, 2026)
South Africa
$378B GDP · 64.3M people (projected population, 2026)
Nigeria
$363B GDP · 238.6M people (projected population, 2026)
Algeria
$247B GDP · 47.2M people (projected population, 2026)
Ethiopia
$164B GDP · 135.5M people (projected population, 2026)
Morocco
$147B GDP · 38.4M people (projected population, 2026)
Kenya
$113B GDP · 57.9M people (projected population, 2026)
Angola
$93B GDP · 39.2M people (projected population, 2026)
Latest research & insights
All researchReports, outlooks and policy briefs
Data Story
Africa's single market, five years in: what actually changed
The AfCFTA promised one market of 1.4 billion people. We audited tariff schedules, port data and trade flows to see where the promise is landing.
Amina Diallo · 14 min read · updated 2026-08-04
Data StoryThe economics of Nollywood in the streaming era
Output is up, margins are thinner, and global platforms changed who gets paid. We modelled the numbers behind 400 releases.
Lerato Mokoena · 10 min read · updated 2026-07-15
Research ReportAfrica wants to make 60% of its own vaccines. Here's the build-out.
Eight plants, three regulators and a financing gap. A status report on the continent's pharmaceutical manufacturing push.
Tewodros Bekele · 18 min read · updated 2026-07-25
RankingRanking Africa's research universities by output that matters
Citations, patents, doctoral pipelines and funding per researcher across 120 institutions.
Tewodros Bekele · 11 min read · updated 2026-07-19
Data StoryMobile money processed more than $1.4 trillion. What comes next?
Interoperability, agent economics and the regulatory shift from access to competition.
Chidi Okonkwo · 10 min read · updated 2026-07-02
Research ReportWater security in the Sahel is an economic story
Irrigation, groundwater mapping and the cost of adaptation across five countries.
Tewodros Bekele · 17 min read · updated 2026-06-28
Business & investment
Investment desk →Where the capital is going
- Investment opportunities
- Industry spotlights
- Startup ecosystems
- Infrastructure
- Agriculture
- Energy
- Manufacturing
- Tourism
Article · business
The Lagos–Abidjan corridor is becoming West Africa's spine
A 1,000km highway, four borders and a customs union in progress. Inside the most consequential infrastructure project in the region.
Kwame Osei24 Jul 202611 minFact-checked
Business Guide · businessStarting a company in Rwanda: the practical guide
Registration in six hours, tax regimes, work permits and the incentives that are real versus marketed.
Kwame Osei4 Jul 202613 min
Investment Guide · investmentThe new sovereign debt playbook for African borrowers
Common Framework fatigue, private creditors and domestic markets. What restructuring looks like in 2026.
Amina Diallo30 Jun 202615 minFact-checked
Travel Africa
Go further, informed
Travel Guide · travel
Nairobi: the complete 2026 city guide
Where to stay, how to move, what things cost, and the neighbourhoods worth your time — written by people who live there.
Nadia Benali14 Jul 202616 min
Travel Guide · travelBy rail from Cape Town to Victoria Falls
Four days, three borders and one of the great railway journeys left on earth. Costs, bookings and what to expect.
Nadia Benali18 Jun 202612 min
Culture & heritage
Africa in its own voice
Data Story · culture
The economics of Nollywood in the streaming era
Output is up, margins are thinner, and global platforms changed who gets paid. We modelled the numbers behind 400 releases.
Lerato Mokoena11 Jul 202610 min
Article · cultureEast African fashion is building a real export industry
From Kampala studios to Milan showrooms: the supply chains, the financing and the brands scaling up.
Lerato Mokoena2 Jun 20268 min
Data Center
View Data CenterLive series, fully sourced
Every metric carries its source, reference year and last-updated date. Nothing is hard-coded, and projections are always labelled as projections.
Population
World Population Prospects, 2024 Revision, Online Edition — medium variant. Values through 2023 are estimates; later years are projections.
Source: United Nations Population Division, World Population ProspectsLast updated 2024-07-11
- +46%
GDP
3.28 USD trillion · 2026
The360Africa research desk · updated August 2026
- +38%
Intra-African trade
20 % of total trade · 2026
The360Africa research desk · updated August 2026
- +31%
Secondary enrolment
59 % gross · 2026
The360Africa research desk · updated August 2026
- +12%
Health spending
5.7 % of GDP · 2026
The360Africa research desk · updated August 2026
- +41%
International arrivals
82 million visitors · 2026
The360Africa research desk · updated August 2026
Recommended for you
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Data Story
Africa's single market, five years in: what actually changed
28 Jul 2026 · 14 min read
Article
The Lagos–Abidjan corridor is becoming West Africa's spine
24 Jul 2026 · 11 min read
Article
African fintech's consolidation decade has begun
22 Jul 2026 · 9 min read
Travel Guide
Nairobi: the complete 2026 city guide
14 Jul 2026 · 16 min read
Trending topics
AfCFTAGreen hydrogenMobile moneySovereign debtCritical mineralsVisa-free travelCreative economyClimate adaptationRail corridorsVaccine manufacturingYouth employmentData centres
Africa Explained
Start with the basics
- What is ECOWAS?A 15-member West African bloc founded in 1975 for economic integration, free movement and, increasingly, regional security. It runs a parliament, a court of justice and a development bank.
- What is the African Union?A 55-member continental body founded in 2002, successor to the OAU. It sets continental policy through the Assembly and Commission, and coordinates trade, peace and security missions.
- Why are there 54 countries?Colonial borders fixed at the 1884–85 Berlin Conference were largely retained at independence to avoid conflict. Later separations — Eritrea in 1993, South Sudan in 2011 — brought the recognised total to 54.
- How does the CFA franc work?Two separate currencies used by 14 countries, pegged to the euro and backed by convertibility arrangements with France. Monetary policy is set by BCEAO in West Africa and BEAC in Central Africa.
- What is the Great Rift Valley?A continental-scale system of faults running roughly 6,000km from the Red Sea to Mozambique, where the African plate is slowly splitting — producing the Rift lakes, volcanoes and major fossil sites.
Resource Center
Downloadable guides and reports
- Get
Africa Investment Outlook 2026
Investment Guide · 84 pages · PDF · updated July 2026
- Get
East Africa Travel Handbook
Travel Guide · 62 pages · PDF · updated June 2026
- Get
Nigeria Country Report
Country Report · 48 pages · PDF · updated July 2026
- Get
Africa Regional Map Pack
Map · 12 pages · PDF + PNG · updated May 2026
- Get
Market Entry Checklist
Checklist · 6 pages · PDF · updated August 2026
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Why trust The360Africa
Accuracy is the product
Sourced and cited
Every claim is attributable. Datasets, documents and interviews are named in the references section of each piece.
Independently fact-checked
Research reports and explainers pass a separate fact-check desk before publication, and carry a visible status.
Corrections in the open
We date every update and publish a revision history. Substantive corrections are labelled, never quietly edited.
Written from the continent
Our correspondents live in the markets they cover, in 14 countries and counting.