Une lecture de l’évolution des indicateurs macroéconomiques des pays membres de la Communauté de Développement de l’Afrique Australe (SADC) de 2005 à 2022

In this article, we analyze the situation of the member countries of the SADC Community on the basis of macroeconomic indicators covering the period from 2005 to 2022. The evolution of these indicators reveals that after a slowdown in economic activity between 2015 and 2020, a recovery coupled with instability was observed between 2021 and 2022. During the period under analysis, SADC moved from a sub-region of low-HDI economies (between 2005 and 2010) to a sub-region of medium-HDI economies (between 2015 and 2022). However, this trend conceals huge disparities in the level of development between member countries. It appears that the observed level of the SADC HDI depends on the situation of a large number of countries that are classified in the low HDI category. This category represents 50% of member countries. Despite some overall performance in SADC, analysis of per capita income shows huge disparities between member countries. Overall, SADC is considered to be a sub-region of lower-middle income countries. It has also been observed that these countries have different levels of development in terms of inflation, capital income, economic growth and exchange rates. However, the average inflation rate fell from 7% in 2010 to 5.5% in 2015. SADC stands out for its consistent pattern of import and export trade. While imports and exports increased over the period 2009-2013, there was a decline over the period 2013-2016. Despite a rebound in exports between 2017 and 2018, a fall in exports can be seen in 2019 alongside a rise in imports, highlighting the balance of payments deficit. Finally, trends in governance indicators suggest that, overall, institutions are of low quality and that very little progress has been made in the six dimensions of governance over time. Key words: Macroeconomic performance, Development, Institutions, SADC.