Air transport, freight in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Air transport, freight was 4,829 million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
4,829 million ton-km
Change on year
up 0.0%
Rank
26th
of 45 groups
All-time high
4,829 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, 1970–2023
Source: Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Measured in million ton-km.
Analysis
In 2023, air transport, freight in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 4,829 million ton-km. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of up 78.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, air transport, freight in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 4,829 million ton-km in 2023 and was at its lowest, 209 million ton-km, in 1970.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 26th of 45 groups on this measure, 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, 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 | 987.6 million ton-km | +7.2% |
| 1985 | 984.9 million ton-km | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 892.2 million ton-km | -9.4% |
| 1987 | 976.6 million ton-km | +9.5% |
| 1988 | 972.8 million ton-km | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 958.6 million ton-km | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 912.4 million ton-km | -4.8% |
| 1991 | 867 million ton-km | -5.0% |
| 1992 | 971.9 million ton-km | +12.1% |
| 1993 | 1,066 million ton-km | +9.7% |
| 1994 | 1,116 million ton-km | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 1,125 million ton-km | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 1,230 million ton-km | +9.3% |
| 1997 | 1,343 million ton-km | +9.2% |
| 1998 | 1,417 million ton-km | +5.5% |
| 1999 | 1,659 million ton-km | +17.1% |
| 2000 | 1,712 million ton-km | +3.2% |
| 2001 | 1,684 million ton-km | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 1,500 million ton-km | -10.9% |
| 2003 | 1,643 million ton-km | +9.5% |
| 2004 | 1,822 million ton-km | +10.9% |
| 2005 | 1,842 million ton-km | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 2,249 million ton-km | +22.1% |
| 2007 | 1,934 million ton-km | -14.0% |
| 2008 | 1,792 million ton-km | -7.4% |
| 2009 | 1,815 million ton-km | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 2,138 million ton-km | +17.8% |
| 2011 | 2,216 million ton-km | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 2,559 million ton-km | +15.5% |
| 2013 | 2,708 million ton-km | +5.8% |
| 2014 | 2,793 million ton-km | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 2,782 million ton-km | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 2,910 million ton-km | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 3,648 million ton-km | +25.4% |
| 2018 | 3,566 million ton-km | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 3,765 million ton-km | +5.6% |
| 2020 | 3,317 million ton-km | -11.9% |
| 2021 | 4,295 million ton-km | +29.5% |
| 2022 | 4,828 million ton-km | +12.4% |
| 2023 | 4,829 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 | 905.73 million ton-km | 706.1 million ton-km | 987.6 million ton-km | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,171 million ton-km | 867 million ton-km | 1,659 million ton-km | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,799 million ton-km | 1,500 million ton-km | 2,249 million ton-km | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,909 million ton-km | 2,138 million ton-km | 3,765 million ton-km | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,317 million ton-km | 3,317 million ton-km | 4,829 million ton-km | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 23 Azerbaijan 1,434 million ton-km compare
- 24 Brazil 1,387 million ton-km compare
- 25 Russian Federation 1,269 million ton-km compare
- 26 Switzerland 1,258 million ton-km compare
- 27 Australia 1,188 million ton-km compare
- 28 Spain 1,131 million ton-km compare
- 29 Italy 1,121 million ton-km compare
More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 1.20 billion (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 90.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 5.00 million (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0038 units per person (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -16.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 5.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 0.9049 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?
- Air transport, freight in Sub-Saharan Africa was 4,829 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?
- The highest recorded value was 4,829 million ton-km in 2023.
- What is the lowest air transport, freight recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 209 million ton-km in 1970.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for air transport, freight?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 26th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is air transport, freight rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 78.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.