The covid-19 health crisis quickly spread to the economic sphere and has affected every economy in the world. In sub-Saharan Africa, economic activity could contract by 3% in 2020 (IMF projections - October 2020). But more than that, the gains in terms of human development are likely to be profoundly disrupted.
The history of the components of human development (standard of living, health and education) in Sub-Saharan Africa over the last ten years highlights a positive, albeit very modest, trend: a GDP per capita that will stagnate from 2010, an increase in life expectancy (+10 years approximately) and an increase in the gross primary school enrollment rate (+10 percentage points).
For the first time since 2007, the Human Development Index (HDI) could experience a negative annual variation in 2020. Countries are therefore faced with a double challenge: containing the effects of the crisis through economic stimulus plans without neglecting the basic needs of the population in terms of education and health, etc.
Graphs: Components of the HDI (left, average Sub-Saharan Africa, logarithmic scale) and Annual Change in the HDI (right, Sub-Saharan Africa, Estimated for the year 2020)
Sources : World Bank/IMF
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