Six of the world's 10 fastest growing economies from 2000-2010 were in sub-Saharan Africa. That includes the world's fastest growing economy, that of Angola, which had an average annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 11.1 percent during those years. Angola was followed by China and Myanmar, which had 10.5 percent and 10.3 percent average annual growth, followed by Nigeria (8.9 percent) and Ethiopia (8.4 percent). Other sub-Saharan nations in the top 10 included Chad, Mozambique and Rwanda. The rankings excluded nations that had fewer than 10 million people.
More about the world's fastest growing economies:
- The trend of sub-Saharan economic growth was expected to continue through 2015, with Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as Ghana, Zambia and Nigera all projected to be among the fastest growing economies.
- Others among the fastest growing economies from 2000-2010 included Kazakhstan and Cambodia.
- Although it would seem that economic growth would be a cure for poverty, it's not always the case. Economic growth is connected to more employment, but it's estimated that almost half of all workers in the world are poor and live on less than $2 US Dollars per day.
