Angola

Angola: steady but modest growth, 1980–2025

Angola's oil-dominated economy grew rapidly after a long civil war ended in 2002, but has since been highly exposed to crude-price swings and limited economic diversification. Between 1980 and 2025, Angola's GDP per capita grew from $729 to $3,129 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 3.3% — steady but modest growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 3.5% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 6.6 points, reflecting considerable volatility and periodic crises. Structurally, agriculture's share of the economy moved from 9.4% to 25.2% of GDP (a notable increase), while services rose from 37.9% to 46.8% of GDP, underscoring a shift toward a services-driven economy. On human development, life expectancy rose from 42.2 to 64.8 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 0.6% to 10.0%, while the urban population share grew from 24.1% to 71.5%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions fell from 1.76 to 0.74 tonnes CO2e per person; income inequality (Gini index) narrowed from 51.9 to 51.3; the poverty headcount ratio increased from 27.0% to 39.3%.