Algeria recorded the highest year-on-year GDP growth among the top 10 richest African countries in early 2025, expanding by over 4.5%, driven by high energy exports, strong foreign reserves, and government-led public spending, according to a report by The African Exponent.
Algeria remains Africa’s richest country in early 2025, with a GDP of $266.78 billion, making up 9.47% of the continent’s total economic output, the report said.
“A hydrocarbon giant, Algeria continues to benefit from high global oil and gas prices, with hydrocarbons accounting for nearly 95% of export earnings and 60% of government revenues,” the source said, while emphasizing that the Algerian government is now “heavily investing in non-oil sectors”.
The report indicated that major industrial zones, renewable energy projects, and investments in technology are part of Algeria’s national plan to reduce reliance on oil and gas. Moreover, the country has also expanded trade with Europe and China while deepening ties within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The African Exponent also highlighted Algeria’s foreign reserves, which exceed $90 billion, alongside controlled inflation—factors that position the country not only as a resource-rich state but also as “a potential manufacturing and energy hub for North Africa and beyond.”
Meanwhile, the report placed Angola in second place in terms of GDP growth, which reached 92.12 billion US dollars, representing 3.27% of the continent’s total GDP.
As for Cameroon, which ranked third, recorded a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 53.20 billion US dollars in 2025, representing 1.89% of Africa’s total GDP. Meanwhile, Botswana’s economy reached a GDP of 21.42 billion US dollars in early 2025, accounting for approximately 0.76% of the continent’s total GDP.
The list also included Burkina Faso with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $21.90 billion, followed by Benin with an estimated GDP of around $21.37 billion, and Chad with approximately $18.70 billion. Burundi ranked eighth, with GDP projections reaching $3.08 billion in 2025, followed by Cape Verde with a GDP of $2.72 billion, and finally the Central African Republic with about $2.81 billion.
