Air transport, freight in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Air transport, freight was 4,827 million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
4,827 million ton-km
Change on year
up 0.0%
Rank
30th
of 47 groups
All-time high
4,827 million ton-km
in 2023
All-time low
209 million ton-km
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Air transport, freight in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1970–2023
Source: Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 4,827 million ton-km for air transport, freight in 2023. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
The figure is up 80.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, air transport, freight in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 4,827 million ton-km in 2023 and was at its lowest, 209 million ton-km, in 1970.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Air transport, freight in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | million ton-km | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 209 million ton-km | — |
| 1971 | 237 million ton-km | +13.4% |
| 1972 | 255.6 million ton-km | +7.8% |
| 1973 | 325 million ton-km | +27.2% |
| 1974 | 401.7 million ton-km | +23.6% |
| 1975 | 417.1 million ton-km | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 465.2 million ton-km | +11.5% |
| 1977 | 480.8 million ton-km | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 556.5 million ton-km | +15.7% |
| 1979 | 654.3 million ton-km | +17.6% |
| 1980 | 706.1 million ton-km | +7.9% |
| 1981 | 810.8 million ton-km | +14.8% |
| 1982 | 846.5 million ton-km | +4.4% |
| 1983 | 921.2 million ton-km | +8.8% |
| 1984 | 987.3 million ton-km | +7.2% |
| 1985 | 984.5 million ton-km | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 890.7 million ton-km | -9.5% |
| 1987 | 974.9 million ton-km | +9.5% |
| 1988 | 970.8 million ton-km | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 954.1 million ton-km | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 902 million ton-km | -5.5% |
| 1991 | 857.9 million ton-km | -4.9% |
| 1992 | 957 million ton-km | +11.6% |
| 1993 | 1,056 million ton-km | +10.3% |
| 1994 | 1,105 million ton-km | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 1,112 million ton-km | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 1,213 million ton-km | +9.1% |
| 1997 | 1,319 million ton-km | +8.7% |
| 1998 | 1,400 million ton-km | +6.1% |
| 1999 | 1,640 million ton-km | +17.1% |
| 2000 | 1,692 million ton-km | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 1,662 million ton-km | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 1,472 million ton-km | -11.5% |
| 2003 | 1,622 million ton-km | +10.2% |
| 2004 | 1,798 million ton-km | +10.9% |
| 2005 | 1,816 million ton-km | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 2,218 million ton-km | +22.1% |
| 2007 | 1,907 million ton-km | -14.0% |
| 2008 | 1,765 million ton-km | -7.4% |
| 2009 | 1,789 million ton-km | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 2,102 million ton-km | +17.5% |
| 2011 | 2,184 million ton-km | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 2,553 million ton-km | +16.9% |
| 2013 | 2,682 million ton-km | +5.1% |
| 2014 | 2,761 million ton-km | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 2,763 million ton-km | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 2,890 million ton-km | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 3,619 million ton-km | +25.2% |
| 2018 | 3,559 million ton-km | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 3,762 million ton-km | +5.7% |
| 2020 | 3,317 million ton-km | -11.8% |
| 2021 | 4,294 million ton-km | +29.5% |
| 2022 | 4,827 million ton-km | +12.4% |
| 2023 | 4,827 million ton-km | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 400.22 million ton-km | 209 million ton-km | 654.3 million ton-km | 10 |
| 1980s | 904.69 million ton-km | 706.1 million ton-km | 987.3 million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,156 million ton-km | 857.9 million ton-km | 1,640 million ton-km | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,774 million ton-km | 1,472 million ton-km | 2,218 million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,887 million ton-km | 2,102 million ton-km | 3,762 million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,316 million ton-km | 3,317 million ton-km | 4,827 million ton-km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 1.10 billion (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 92.7 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 4.00 million (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.003 units per person (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -20 % change on previous year (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 4.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 0.8324 units per person (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is air transport, freight in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Air transport, freight in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 4,827 million ton-km in 2023, according to Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
- What is the highest air transport, freight recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 4,827 million ton-km in 2023.
- What is the lowest air transport, freight recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 209 million ton-km in 1970.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for air transport, freight?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is air transport, freight rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 80.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), published as part of Air transport, freight (million ton-km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tons times kilometers traveled.