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Indicators · Banking and capital markets

Domestic credit to private sector

Loans and other credit from banks and financial firms to private businesses and households, as a share of GDP.

Why it matters

Shows how deep the local financial system is and how easily businesses can borrow locally.

Read with care

Low values can signal both a gap to fill and a hard lending environment.

Source

World Bank

% of GDP. 54 African countries, 1990 to 2025.

Private credit: highest in South Africa, lowest in Zimbabwe

Domestic credit to private sector, % of GDP. Latest year available, mostly 2025. 16 of 16 countries have data.

11%
18%
23%
33%
No data
Loading map…
Source: World Bank· Get the data (Professional)·dotzedw Insights Centre

Ranked: private creditiWhy it mattersShows how deep the local financial system is and how easily businesses can borrow locally.

Click a country to highlight it.

0%20%40%60%80%South Africa89.4% (2024)Mauritius72.0%Namibia55.1% (2024)Botswana33.2%Seychelles24.5% (2016)Lesotho24.3% (2024)Eswatini23.1%Zambia19.2%Tanzania18.4%Mozambique18.3%Madagascar16.5% (2024)Comoros15.3% (2024)DRC11.3% (2023)Malawi7.9% (2024)Angola6.6%Zimbabwe6.5% (2023)median 18.8%
dotzedw Insights Centre
How spread out SADC is
Median 18.8%Lowest: Zimbabwe 6.5%Highest: South Africa 89.4%

Over time

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Domestic credit to private sector 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.

0.0%20.0%40.0%60.0%80.0%$1,000$3,000$10kGDP per person, US$ (log scale)Private creditDRCTanzaniaSouth AfricaAngolaMadagascarMalawiNamibiaBotswana
Source: World Bank, World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Table

The same figures as the map, for screen readers and copying.
RankCountryValueYearFive-year changeGradeDetails
1South Africa89.4%2024down 27.7 points since 2019A
2Mauritius72.0%2025down 18.5 points since 2020A
3Namibia55.1%2024down 15.9 points since 2019A
4Botswana33.2%2025down 6.5 points since 2020A
5Seychelles24.5%2016up 2.1 points since 2011B
6Lesotho24.3%2024up 3.0 points since 2019A
7Eswatini23.1%2025up 2.1 points since 2020A
8Zambia19.2%2025up 4.0 points since 2020A
9Tanzania18.4%2025up 6.0 points since 2020A
10Mozambique18.3%2025down 5.6 points since 2020A
11Madagascar16.5%2024up 2.3 points since 2019A
12Comoros15.3%2024little changed since 2019A
13DRC11.3%2023up 5.4 points since 2018B
14Malawi7.9%2024up 0.7 points since 2019A
15Angola6.6%2025down 4.8 points since 2020A
16Zimbabwe6.5%2023up 0.6 points since 2018B