African Cinema: A Living Record in Charts

What Is On Record, Country by Country

Each country has four squares, one for each kind of record. The legend below shows what each colour means. 10 countries have all four records, and 8 have none. Choose a tab to see one kind of record, or tap a country.

• Annual box office figure or estimate 19 of 54
• Paid cinema screen verified 42 of 54
• National film fund or incentive 27 of 54
• Current co-production treaty 18 of 54

Grey: not confirmed on record

All 54 · Box Office · Cinema Screen · Fund · Treaty · All Four · None

Tap a Country

Its four records appear here.

North Africa (6)

• Algeria Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Egypt Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Libya Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Mauritania Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Morocco Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Tunisia Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record

West Africa (15)

• Benin Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Burkina Faso Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Cabo Verde Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Côte d'Ivoire Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Gambia Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Ghana Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Guinea Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Guinea-Bissau Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Liberia Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Mali Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Niger Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Nigeria Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Senegal Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Sierra Leone Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Togo Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed

Central Africa (8)

• Cameroon Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Central African Republic Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Chad Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Republic of the Congo Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• DR Congo Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Equatorial Guinea Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Gabon Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• São Tomé and Príncipe Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: on record

East Africa (15)

• Burundi Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Comoros Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Djibouti Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Eritrea Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Ethiopia Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Kenya Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Madagascar Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Mauritius Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Rwanda Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Seychelles Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Somalia Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• South Sudan Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Sudan Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Tanzania Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Uganda Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed

Southern Africa (10)

• Angola Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Botswana Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Eswatini Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Lesotho Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: not confirmed; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Malawi Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Mozambique Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Namibia Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• South Africa Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: on record
• Zambia Annual box office figure or estimate: not confirmed; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: not confirmed; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed
• Zimbabwe Annual box office figure or estimate: on record; Paid cinema screen verified: on record; National film fund or incentive: on record; Current co-production treaty: not confirmed

Sources: AFP Box Office Registry, AFP Funding Desk, AFP Co-Production Treaty Registry.

After the Premiere

AFP follows African films that premiered at film festivals from 2021 to 2026. Of 429 such films, 311 have distribution on record. Films with a sales agent reach distribution far more often.

429 films: is any distribution on record?

• yes 311
• not yet 118

Where the 311 were shown (a film can appear in more than one)

• Cinema 216
• Streaming 132
• Television 43
• Educational 25

Distribution on record, with and without a sales agent

• With an agent 92%
• Without one 53%

196 of 214 films with a sales agent, and 115 of 215 without.

Source: AFP Distribution Registry. Most of the films with no distribution on record premiered in the last two years.

Where the Money Is, and How to Reach It

AFP's Funding Desk lists the funding programmes open to African film and television. Below it are the three routes by which an African producer can reach public film money. The three route totals should not be added together, because some funds appear in more than one.

On AFP’s Funding Desk

160 current funding programmes open to African film and television.

• National funds and incentives in African countries 66
• Funds based outside Africa 62
• Regional funds 15
• Investment funds 12
• Broadcasters 4
• Other 1

What stage of a film they pay for (a programme can cover more than one)

• Production 107
• Development 80
• Post-production 65
• Market activity 11
• Distribution 3

1. At Home

66 national funds and incentives in 27 of 54 countries, 19 of them in South Africa.

• Open now or all year 8
• Between application rounds 26
• No public call 17
• Status unclear 13
• Closed 2

Countries with a national fund or incentive on record: 27 of 54.

South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Botswana, Benin, Senegal, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Algeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Rwanda, Uganda, Mozambique, Ghana, Tanzania, Egypt, Togo, Mali, Cameroon, Gabon, Cabo Verde, Chad

2. Abroad, With a Treaty

47 current co-production treaty relationships, involving 18 of 54 countries.

• Morocco 15
• South Africa 10
• Senegal 6
• Côte d'Ivoire 4
• Tunisia 4

• 13 others 1–2

Countries with a current treaty confirmed: 18 of 54. Each treaty is counted once for each African country in it.

Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia

3. Abroad, Without a Treaty

97 other international funds, incentives and programmes.

• No treaty needed, or not relevant 71
• Depends on conditions 12
• Treaty normally required 10
• Not stated 4

Of the 97: 47 production incentives, 27 funds for minority co-producers, 23 other funds and programmes.

Sources: AFP Funding Desk and AFP Co-Production Treaty Registry.

Box Office and Cinemas

AFP has an annual box office figure or estimate for 19 of 54 countries. Together they come to about US$120 million a year (US$107 million to US$135 million). The other 35 countries are left out of the total. They are not counted as zero.

Annual box office by country, in US dollars

• Egypt US$44.5m
• South Africa US$30.0m
• Morocco US$13.9m
• Nigeria US$9.76m
• Kenya US$4.55m
• Senegal US$3.40m
• Côte d'Ivoire US$2.67m
• Angola US$2.30m
• Algeria US$1.95m
• Tanzania US$1.80m

• 9 others US$5.5m

How the 19 country figures were reached

• Official national total 4
• AFP estimate 12
• Partial count 2
• Combined from several sources 1

At least 1,884 regular paid cinema screens verified, in 42 countries

• Egypt 600
• South Africa 462

• 40 other countries 822

South Africa’s count is a minimum.

Share of box office taken by local films

• Egypt about 63%
• Nigeria 49.4%
• South Africa 0.75%

Source: AFP Box Office Registry. Box office counts all films shown in a country, foreign and local. Country figures use different years. Local film shares: AFP estimate for Egypt (2024), FilmOne for Nigeria (2025), National Film and Video Foundation for South Africa (2024).

Television, Streaming and Internet Access

Far more African households pay for television than for streaming. AFP’s record lists at least 42 streaming services and 22 television, satellite and pay-TV providers across the 54 countries.

Households in sub-Saharan Africa (2024 estimate)

• Pay-TV 36%
• Streaming 2.4%

Internet access, for every 100 people

• People who use the internet 36
• Mobile internet subscriptions 56
• Fixed broadband subscriptions under 1

Most internet use in Africa is on mobile networks. One person can have more than one mobile subscription. Figures cover 44 countries and leave out North Africa.

How many of the 54 countries each one reaches

• Canal+ and MultiChoice 51
• Starlink satellite internet 27
• Netflix inside Canal+ packages 24

Sources: AFP Streaming & Infrastructure Registry; Canal+ listing prospectus, 2024 (household estimates for sub-Saharan Africa); International Telecommunication Union, Facts and Figures 2025 (internet use and mobile subscriptions, 2025; fixed broadband, 2024). Starlink count as of 16 March 2026.

Films and Series on the Way

AFP follows 696 African film and series projects that have not yet premiered, from 47 African countries. Most have support from a film fund, a development lab, a co-production market or a festival programme, which is how they come to public notice. Films financed privately for audiences at home are mostly not included. Most of the 696 are still in development.

696 projects, by stage

• Development 497
• Financing 37
• Pre-production 27
• Production 53
• Post-production 82

Countries named on the most projects

• Morocco 108
• South Africa 99
• Egypt 67

Share of projects already in production or post-production

• With a partner country outside Africa 32%
• African countries only 14%

65 of 205 projects with a partner country outside Africa, and 64 of 471 with African countries only.

Source: AFP Pipeline Registry.