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Indicators · Macro stability

Official exchange rate

The annual average official exchange rate against the US dollar.

Why it matters

Currency moves translate directly into dollar returns. The trend matters more than the level.

Read with care

Levels are not comparable across countries. Where a parallel market exists the official rate may not be available to investors. Redenominations break the series.

Source

World Bank

local currency per US$. 54 African countries, 1990 to 2025.

FX rate: highest in Madagascar, lowest in Botswana

Official exchange rate, local currency per US$. Latest year available, mostly 2025. 16 of 16 countries have data.

18
25
64
1,200
No data
Loading map…
Source: World Bank· Get the data (Professional)·dotzedw Insights Centre

Ranked: FX rateiWhy it mattersCurrency moves translate directly into dollar returns. The trend matters more than the level.

Click a country to highlight it.

01,0002,0003,0004,0005,000Madagascar4,529.75DRC2,693.24Tanzania2,597.90 (2024)Malawi1,161.09 (2023)Angola911.99Comoros435.38Mozambique63.91 (2024)Mauritius46.00Zimbabwe26.60Zambia25.28Eswatini17.89Lesotho17.89Namibia17.89South Africa17.89Seychelles14.73Botswana13.50median 36.30
dotzedw Insights Centre
How spread out SADC is
Median 36.30Log scaleLowest: Botswana 13.50Highest: Madagascar 4,529.75

Over time

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Official exchange rate against income per person

Each bubble is a SADC country, sized by population. Dashed lines mark the SADC medians. Countries far from the pattern are worth a closer look.

0.001,000.002,000.003,000.004,000.005,000.00$1,000$3,000$10kGDP per person, US$ (log scale)FX rateDRCTanzaniaSouth AfricaAngolaMozambiqueMadagascarMalawiZambia
Source: World Bank, World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Table

The same figures as the map, for screen readers and copying.
RankCountryValueYearFive-year changeGradeDetails
1Madagascar4,529.752025up 20% since 2020A
2DRC2,693.242025up 45% since 2020A
3Tanzania2,597.902024up 14% since 2019A
4Malawi1,161.092023up 59% since 2018B
5Angola911.992025up 58% since 2020A
6Comoros435.382025up 1% since 2020A
7Mozambique63.912024up 2% since 2019A
8Mauritius46.002025up 17% since 2020A
9Zimbabwe26.602025down 48% since 2020A
10Zambia25.282025up 38% since 2020A
11Eswatini17.892025up 9% since 2020A
12Lesotho17.892025up 9% since 2020A
13Namibia17.892025up 9% since 2020A
14South Africa17.892025up 9% since 2020A
15Seychelles14.732025down 16% since 2020A
16Botswana13.502025up 18% since 2020A