Africa, May 2026
+5%since January 2026
Source: worldsteel
AFR · Regional bloc · 11 publishers
Africa statistics
30 verified figures for Africa across 6 industries and 25 measures, 2018–2026, from 11 publishers.
Conventional hydropower capacity commissioned
4 GWAfrica, 2025
Source: IHA
Entry-level handset cost as share of income (poorest quintile)
76%Africa, end of 2025
Source: GSMA
Africa, 2024
+1 ppsince 2023
Source: ITU
Key findings
Drawn from every industry that publishes a figure for Africa.
Market size and output 3
- Crude steel production in Africa was 2.1 million tonnes in May 2026 (worldsteel). worldsteel ↗ T2 Official
- Clinical trial registrations in Africa were 822 in 2025 (WHO). WHO ↗ T1 Official
- Renewable energy investment in Africa was 15 billion USD in 2023 (BNEF). BNEF ↗
Growth and change 1
- IEA projects natural gas demand growth rate in Africa at 3.5% in 2026. IEA ↗ T1 Official
Prices and costs 1
- Entry-level handset cost as share of income in Africa (poorest quintile) was 76% at end of 2025 (GSMA). GSMA ↗ T2 Official
Capacity and infrastructure 4
- Conventional hydropower capacity commissioned in Africa was more than 4 GW in 2025 (IHA). IHA ↗ T2 Official
- New conventional hydropower capacity added in Africa was more than 4 billion watts in 2025 (IHA). IHA ↗ T2 Official
- Installed wind power capacity in Africa was 10 billion watts as of 5 June 2026 (GWEC). GWEC ↗ T2 Official
- New hydropower capacity added in Africa was 4.5 GW in 2024 (IHA). IHA ↗ T2 Official
Adoption and share 1
- Mobile phone ownership vs Internet use gap in Africa was 29 percentage points in 2024 (ITU). ITU ↗ T1 Official
Africa by industry
Every measure published for Africa, grouped by industry, with its latest value and
trend. Region code AFRICA is the same in every industry and in the API.
Electricity and Gas Utilities 11
Show 6 more measures
- New hydropower capacity added 4.5 GW
- Planned wind power capacity 200 billion watts
- Renewable energy capacity awaiting commissioning 17,361 MW
- Renewable energy generation capacity 56 gigawatts
- Renewable energy investment 15 billion USD
- Renewable power generation capacity (snapshot) 21,760 MW
Telecommunications 8
Show 3 more measures
- Mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 56 per 100 inhabitants
- Mobile phone ownership vs Internet use gap 29 percentage points
- Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 92 per 100 inhabitants
Steel and Basic Metals 2
Airlines and Air Transport 2
Oil and Gas 1
Pharmaceuticals 1
25 measures. Each name opens the full series; each value opens the record with its source evidence.
Sources
| Document | Publisher | Authority tier | Published | Accessed | Locator | Data points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Energy Outlook 2019 Report | IEA | T1 Official | — | 16 Sep 2026 | The rise of the African energy consumer | 1 |
| Executive summary – Gas Market Report, Q3-2025 Report | IEA | T1 Official | — | 15 Sep 2026 | … supporting stronger demand growth in price-sensitive Asian import markets | 1 |
| Regional dashboards – World Energy Outlook 2024 Press release | IEA | T1 Official | — | 16 Sep 2026 | Africa | 1 |
| Measuring digital development: Facts and Figures 2025 - Internet use Report | ITU | T1 Official | 17 Nov 2025 | 14 Sep 2026 | Third paragraph | 1 |
| Measuring digital development: Facts and Figures 2025 - Subscriptions Report | ITU | T1 Official | 17 Nov 2025 | 14 Sep 2026 | Third paragraph; Opening paragraph | 2 |
| Facts and figures 2024 Press release | ITU | T1 Official | 10 Nov 2024 | 17 Sep 2026 | Mobile phone ownership | 3 |
| Facts and Figures 2023 Press release | ITU | T1 Official | 10 Oct 2023 | 17 Sep 2026 | Mobile phone ownership | 2 |
| Number of clinical trials by year, country, WHO region and income group (1999-2022) Press release | WHO | T1 Official | — | 17 Sep 2026 | Points to note: | 1 |
| GWEC records sharp rise in wind turbine installations, as five OEMs exceed 100 GW Press release | GWEC | T2 Official | — | 16 Sep 2026 | China market | 1 |
| Juliana Kainga appointed GWEC Africa WindPower (AWP) Director Press release | GWEC | T2 Official | — | 16 Sep 2026 | Quote – Juliana Kainga, Director, Africa WindPower | 2 |
| GSMA warns of emerging global AI divide as three billion people remain offline and smartphone component costs soar Press release | GSMA | T2 Official | — | 17 Sep 2026 | Handset affordability section | 1 |
| Air Passenger Demand Grows 0.2% in July - IATA Press release | IATA | T2 Official | 31 Aug 2026 | 27 Sep 2026 | Regional Breakdown - International Passenger Markets | 1 |
| Strong 2025 Passenger Demand Masks Ongoing Capacity Constraints Press release | IATA | T2 Official | 29 Jan 2026 | 14 Sep 2026 | Regional Breakdown - International Passenger Markets | 1 |
| Global Air Passenger Demand Reaches Record High in 2024 Press release | IATA | T2 Official | 30 Jan 2025 | 14 Sep 2026 | International Passenger Markets | 1 |
| World Hydropower Outlook launches The year of the ‘water battery’ Press release | IHA | T2 Official | — | 16 Sep 2026 | Africa delivers strong conventional hydropower growth | 1 |
| World Hydropower Outlook 2026: Global Capacity & Data 2026 World Hydropower Outlook Press release | IHA | T2 Official | — | 16 Sep 2026 | Regional momentum builds | 1 |
| World Hydropower Outlook 2025: Global Growth, Trends & Net Zero Progress 2025 World Hydropower Outlook Press release | IHA | T2 Official | — | 16 Sep 2026 | Africa accelerates growth | 1 |
| May 2026 crude steel production Press release | worldsteel | T2 Official | — | 15 Sep 2026 | Crude steel production by region | 2 |
| January 2026 crude steel production Press release | worldsteel | T2 Official | — | 15 Sep 2026 | Crude steel production by region | 2 |
| Climate Week and COP Public Research Press release | BNEF | T3 Research | — | 16 Sep 2026 | Africa Power Transition Factbook 2024 | 1 |
| Renewables Regional Status Reports Press release | REN21 | T3 Research | — | 16 Sep 2026 | 2018 SADC Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status Report | 2 |
| International Internet Bandwidth Now Sits at 1,835 Tbps Article | TeleGeography | T3 Research | 23 Sep 2025 | 14 Sep 2026 | International Internet Bandwidth Growth by Region | 1 |
Report snapshots are retained internally for verification only and are never redistributed. Where a figure comes from a paywalled report, only the number published in its public summary is recorded.
Cite this page
Data on this page is published under CC BY 4.0.
StatOrigin. (2026). Africa industry statistics. Retrieved from https://statorigin.org/regions/africa