CÔTE D’IVOIRE · AFRICA · ECONOMY
Key Facts
- —The ranking Côte d’Ivoire is Africa’s 11th-largest economy in 2026 projections, at US$110.4 billion, down from 10th place in 2025.
- —What is ranked Countries, not cities, by gross domestic product in current US dollars, in the International Monetary Fund’s October 2026 projections released on 13 October.
- —Top three South Africa at US$489.1 billion, Egypt at US$442.9 billion and Nigeria at US$386.7 billion.
- —Who moved The Democratic Republic of Congo climbs to 10th at US$122.3 billion, and Ghana passes Ethiopia for 8th.
- —Why Congo’s dollar output jumps about 32% in a year, mostly because its franc strengthened against the dollar; its real growth is 5.2%.
- —Living standards Output per person is US$3,264 in Côte d’Ivoire against US$1,111 in Congo, about three times higher.
- —US scale The 52 African economies with 2026 projections total about US$3.63 trillion, roughly a ninth of the US economy.
Côte d’Ivoire, also known as Ivory Coast, has slipped to 11th place among Africa’s economies in the newest projections of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), overtaken by the Democratic Republic of Congo. The IMF figures for 2026 put Ivorian output at US$110.4 billion and Congo’s at US$122.3 billion.
For US readers, the swap says more about currencies than about who is getting richer. Ivorians still produce about three times as much per person as Congolese, and all of Africa’s economies together add up to about a ninth of the US economy.
What Is Actually Being Ranked
An Ivorian headline on 18 October read “Abidjan in 11th place, Kinshasa in the top 10, Pretoria in the lead,” using cities as shorthand for countries. The ranking is of countries, by gross domestic product (GDP), the value of all goods and services produced in a year, converted into current US dollars.
The figures come from the IMF’s October 2026 World Economic Outlook database, presented on 13 October, which carries GDP at current prices in billions of dollars. The 2026 numbers are projections and the 2025 numbers are estimates, so both will be revised.
The Ivorian daily L’Infodrome, which compiled the table, counted 53 countries, but The Rio Times found 2026 values for only 52. The database has no 2026 figure for Eritrea or Senegal, whose last entry is US$37.1 billion for 2025, too small to change the top of the table.
Africa’s Top 11 for 2026
South Africa leads at US$489.1 billion, ahead of Egypt at US$442.9 billion and Nigeria at US$386.7 billion. Algeria at US$331.9 billion and Morocco at US$195.6 billion complete a top five that produces about US$1.85 trillion, just over half of Africa’s total.
Angola at US$157.3 billion and Kenya at US$151.2 billion come sixth and seventh. Ghana at US$128.6 billion moves up to eighth past Ethiopia at US$127.1 billion, and Congo takes tenth ahead of Côte d’Ivoire.
Why Congo Moved Up
Congo’s dollar GDP rises about 32% from 2025 to 2026 in the IMF tables, from US$92.9 billion to US$122.3 billion. Real growth of 5.2% and consumer inflation of 4.3% explain only part of that jump.
Most of the rest comes from the exchange rate, because the Congolese franc has averaged about 2,250 per US dollar so far in 2026 against about 2,690 in 2025. That lifts the dollar value of everything Congo produces by roughly a fifth.
Congo is also the world’s leading source of mined cobalt, with an estimated 73% of global output in 2025, and the second-biggest copper miner after Chile, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The Ivorian report credited Congo’s climb to these two metals, which go into batteries and electrical wiring.
Côte d’Ivoire Is Still Growing Fast
The Ivorian slip is not a contraction. The IMF projects real growth of 6.0% in 2026 after 6.5% in 2025, with inflation of 2.2%, and dollar GDP rising about 11%.
Its CFA franc is pegged to the euro, so its dollar figures move with the euro rather than with a floating local currency. That peg has helped keep Ivorian inflation low, and a rally like the Congolese franc’s could only come from the euro itself rising against the dollar.
Per person, the order reverses. The IMF puts Côte d’Ivoire’s 2026 GDP per capita at US$3,264, 20th in Africa, against US$1,111 for Congo, 40th, while Seychelles, Mauritius and Gabon top that list.
Adjusted for price differences, at purchasing power parity, Côte d’Ivoire still ranks 11th and stays ahead of Congo, which is 12th. On that measure Egypt and Nigeria lead, and South Africa is third.
What It Means for US Readers
For investors, the table is a reminder that dollar GDP rankings swing with currencies. Nigeria was Africa’s largest economy in these tables as recently as 2023, before the naira fell from about 460 per dollar in May 2023 to 1,332 on 16 October 2026.
Ethiopia shows the same effect, with dollar GDP falling from US$210 billion in 2024 to US$126.4 billion in 2025 after the birr lost most of its value. Neither economy shrank in real terms in those years, according to the same IMF data.
For Washington’s minerals policy, Congo’s rise rests on cobalt and copper, both on the US government’s list of critical minerals; copper was added in November 2025. Congo replaced a temporary cobalt export ban with quotas of up to 96,600 tons a year for 2026 and 2027, the USGS said.
For scale, the 52 African economies with 2026 projections add up to about US$3.63 trillion. The IMF projects the US economy at US$32.6 trillion, about nine times larger.
What Is Not Known
The 2026 figures are projections, and they will move with exchange rates and commodity prices before final accounts come in. A weaker Congolese franc or cheaper cobalt and copper could put Côte d’Ivoire back in the top 10.
The IMF database does not explain why it carries no 2026 projection for Senegal. Two remarks the Ivorian report attributed to the IMF could not be traced to an IMF document, so they are not repeated here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Abidjan Africa’s 11th-largest city economy?
No, the ranking is of countries, and “Abidjan” was shorthand for Côte d’Ivoire. The country ranks 11th in Africa by projected 2026 GDP in current US dollars.
Which are Africa’s largest economies in 2026?
South Africa leads at US$489.1 billion, followed by Egypt at US$442.9 billion and Nigeria at US$386.7 billion. Algeria and Morocco complete the top five in the IMF’s October 2026 projections.
Why did Congo overtake Côte d’Ivoire?
Congo’s dollar GDP rises about 32% in a year, mainly because the Congolese franc strengthened against the dollar, on top of real growth of 5.2%. Côte d’Ivoire still grows faster in real terms, at a projected 6.0%.
Is Côte d’Ivoire richer than Congo?
Per person, it is about three times richer. The IMF projects 2026 GDP per capita of US$3,264 for Côte d’Ivoire and US$1,111 for Congo.
How big is Africa’s economy compared with the US?
The 52 African economies with 2026 projections total about US$3.63 trillion. The US economy is projected at US$32.6 trillion, about nine times larger.
Sources: IMF DataMapper, GDP at current prices (NGDPD), World Economic Outlook October 2026, accessed 19 October 2026, IMF, World Economic Outlook October 2026, 13 October 2026, IMF, October 2026 WEO Database Appendix, US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Cobalt, US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Copper, L’Infodrome, PIB Afrique 2026 (French), 18 October 2026. IMF growth, inflation, per-capita and purchasing-power figures come from the same October 2026 database. Exchange rates are market closing rates, with the 2026 average running through 16 October. All retrieved 19 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief