CEMAC growth slows to 2.6% in 2025
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on L’Union
Average growth in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa slowed to 2.6% in 2025, from 3.2% in 2024, while the average budget deficit reached 3.3% of GDP. Regional public debt stood at 53.6% of GDP, according to the World Bank’s August 2026 Economic Barometer.
Growth in the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) slowed to 2.6% in 2025, down from 3.2% in 2024, according to the World Bank Group’s August 2026 Economic Barometer. Regional per capita income fell by 0.1%, while it rose by 3.4% in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).
National performances varied. Chad recorded growth of 5.6%, driven by oil, and the Central African Republic 4.5%, notably thanks to gold. Congo grew by 3.1% and Gabon by 3.2%, while Equatorial Guinea contracted by 5.8% because of declining oil production.
Public finances deteriorated, with the average deficit rising from 1.6% to 3.3% of gross domestic product between 2024 and 2025 and public debt reaching 53.6% of GDP. Gabon’s deficit is estimated at 12.2% of GDP and Congo’s debt at 97.4%. Public revenue accounted for just 11.7% of regional GDP in 2024, compared with a community threshold of 17%.
Hydrocarbons account for nearly 70% of CEMAC’s exports, but oil sales fell by 2.3% and gas sales by 10.5% in 2025. The trade surplus declined from 6.7% to 3.5% of GDP, while foreign exchange reserves now cover only 4.2 months of imports, down from 4.8 months in 2024. The Bank of Central African States (BEAC) cut its key interest rate to 4.5% in June 2026, while 36.2% of the region’s population lives in extreme poverty and unemployment is close to 10%, according to the report.
