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Indicator

Budget Balance by African country

2026

General government net lending (surplus) or borrowing (deficit) as a percentage of GDP.

Africa, 202653 of 54 countries
−4.0%population-weighted average
Highest in 2026Lesotho · 4.2%Lowest in 2026Libya · −20.9%Reported in 202653 of 54 countries surveyed
Click a country to pin it — pinned countries are named on the map. Hatching means no record.
Western Sahara — no separate recordTanzania — −3.2%Democratic Republic of the Congo — −3.5%Somalia — −0.6%Kenya — −6.4%Sudan — −4.4%Chad — −1.4%South Africa — −4.9%Lesotho — 4.2%Zimbabwe — −0.8%Botswana — −10.7%Namibia — −6.1%Senegal — −6.7%Mali — −2.4%Mauritania — 0.5%Benin — −2.9%Niger — −3.7%Nigeria — −4.4%Cameroon — −1.7%Togo — −6.7%Ghana — −2.3%Cote d'Ivoire — −3.0%Guinea — −5.0%Guinea-Bissau — −4.0%Liberia — −1.6%Sierra Leone — −2.2%Burkina Faso — −3.5%Central African Republic — −5.0%Republic of the Congo — 0.4%Gabon — −10.0%Equatorial Guinea — −1.7%Zambia — −4.9%Malawi — −10.5%Mozambique — −6.5%Eswatini — −6.9%Angola — −2.4%Burundi — −2.5%Madagascar — −4.6%Gambia — −1.0%Tunisia — −7.4%Algeria — −10.2%Eritrea — no dataMorocco — −3.5%Egypt — −12.1%Libya — −20.9%Ethiopia — −1.8%Djibouti — −0.5%Uganda — −5.9%Rwanda — −4.3%South Sudan — 1.4%Nigeria −4.4%Nigeria −4.4%Ethiopia −1.8%Ethiopia −1.8%Kenya −6.4%Kenya −6.4%South Africa −4.9%South Africa −4.9%2026HIGHEST IN 2026Lesotho4.2%South Sudan1.4%Sao Tome and Principenot drawn1.0%Mauritania0.5%Republic of the Congo0.4%LOWEST IN 2026Libya−20.9%Egypt−12.1%Botswana−10.7%Malawi−10.5%Algeria−10.2%PINNEDEthiopia−1.8%16 of 53Kenya−6.4%42 of 53Nigeria−4.4%33 of 53South Africa−4.9%36 of 53OTHER ISLAND STATES · NOT DRAWNCabo Verdenot drawn−0.9%Comorosnot drawn−1.1%Mauritiusnot drawn−3.1%Seychellesnot drawn−2.1%% of GDP · quintiles of the observed range−20.9%−6.5%−4.4%−2.5%−1.4%4.2%no record
20142026
IMF · national statistics offices · the provider's own estimates where a country has not reportedCC BY 4.0
Countries

By region

Population-weighted, so a region’s figure is the share of its people, not the average of its countries.
Middle Africa9 of 9 countries−2.7%
Western Africa16 of 16 countries−3.1%
Eastern Africa17 of 18 countries−3.4%
Southern Africa5 of 5 countries−4.9%
Northern Africa6 of 6 countries−9.7%
Africaall 54 countries · 53 with a 2026 figure−4.0%

What to know before you quote this

Specific to this series. For how we treat data generally, see methods.
One country has no usable 2026 recordNot a low value — no figure within the window. Eritrea is hatched on the map and blank in the table.
Certainty is judged year by yearA country can be Reported in one year and Modelled the next. The tag follows the year on the scrubber, so the 2026 assessment is not a verdict on the whole series.

About this data

Budget BalanceGeneral government net lending (surplus) or borrowing (deficit) as a percentage of GDP.
SourceIMF, with processing by Africa API
Unit% of GDP
Last updated29 Jun 2026
Next expected updateJun 2027
Date range1980–2026
Coverage53 of 54 countries · 53 reported, 0 modelled, 1 with no usable figure

How the figure is made

ReportedA national statistics office or the original provider published the figure for that year directly. 53 countries did so for 2026 — the certainty shown on this page is that 2026 assessment, not a per-series one.ModelledNo direct figure that year. The provider’s own estimate, interpolation or projection stands in, and is marked as such wherever it appears.No dataNo usable figure within the window. Drawn hatched on the map and left blank in the table — not zero, and not filled in.

These three states are used the same way across every indicator on the site — how we treat certainty explains the full set and what we never do to a number.

Reuse and cite

Everything on this page is open under CC BY 4.0 — use it anywhere, including commercially, as long as Africa API and the original provider are credited. The provider’s own licence still applies to their data.

How to cite this page
Africa API (2026) — "Budget Balance". Data adapted from IMF. Retrieved 18 Oct 2026 from africa-api.com/indicators/fiscal-balance
The request behind this view
GET /v1/data?metric_key=fiscal_balance_pct_gdp&year=2026&limit=100

Read next

The measures that explain this one.
EconomyGDPGross domestic product in current US dollars.EconomyGDP per CapitaGross domestic product divided by mid-year population, in current US dollars.EconomyInflation RateLatest year-on-year consumer price inflation.

Budget Balance: most recent figure per country, highest to lowest

53 countries · each with its own period

The figures at the top of the page compare every country in the same year. This list takes each country’s newest figure instead, whatever its period, so the order can differ.

#CountryBudget BalancePeriod
1Lesotho4.2%2026
2South Sudan1.4%2026
3Sao Tome and Principe1%2026
4Mauritania0.5%2026
5Republic of the Congo0.4%2026
6Djibouti-0.5%2026
7Somalia-0.6%2026
8Zimbabwe-0.8%2026
9Cabo Verde-0.9%2026
10Gambia-1%2026
11Comoros-1.1%2026
12Chad-1.4%2026
13Liberia-1.6%2026
14Cameroon-1.7%2026
15Equatorial Guinea-1.7%2026
16Ethiopia-1.8%2026
17Seychelles-2.1%2026
18Sierra Leone-2.2%2026
19Ghana-2.3%2026
20Angola-2.4%2026
21Mali-2.4%2026
22Burundi-2.5%2026
23Benin-2.9%2026
24Cote d'Ivoire-3%2026
25Mauritius-3.1%2026
26Tanzania-3.2%2026
27Burkina Faso-3.5%2026
28Democratic Republic of the Congo-3.5%2026
29Morocco-3.5%2026
30Niger-3.7%2026
31Guinea-Bissau-4%2026
32Rwanda-4.3%2026
33Nigeria-4.4%2026
34Sudan-4.4%2026
35Madagascar-4.6%2026
36South Africa-4.9%2026
37Zambia-4.9%2026
38Central African Republic-5%2026
39Guinea-5%2026
40Uganda-5.9%2026
41Namibia-6.1%2026
42Kenya-6.4%2026
43Mozambique-6.5%2026
44Senegal-6.7%2026
45Togo-6.7%2026
46Eswatini-6.9%2026
47Tunisia-7.4%2026
48Gabon-10%2026
49Algeria-10.2%2026
50Malawi-10.5%2026
51Botswana-10.7%2026
52Egypt-12.1%2026
53Libya-20.9%2026
Which observations are included?
The ranking includes 53 of 54 countries with available observations for 2023 or later and within 2 years of the freshest result. Each figure shows its reporting period. Countries without an eligible observation are omitted.
Does a higher value mean a better result?
The ranking is sorted by value, from highest to lowest. The order does not rate a country's performance. Interpretation depends on the indicator and its definition.

Embed this ranking

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