Sub‑Saharan Africa trade up 11% in first five months of 2026

Sub‑Saharan Africa trade rose 11 percent in the first five months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, placing the region behind East Asia and the Pacific (24 percent) and Europe (12 percent).

The region achieved the world’s fastest trade‑value growth during the first six months of 2025, and AI‑enabling goods contributed 42 percent of goods‑trade growth in 2025 and 76 percent in the first quarter of 2026.