Top 10 African countries with the lowest diesel prices in July 2025

The cost of diesel has long dominated the rhythm of everyday life in many African countries from the price of food on market shelves to the cost of moving products over thousands of kilometers.

Business Insider Africa, the top 10 African countries with the lowest diesel prices in July 2025.
This list is courtesy of GlobalPetrolPrices.
Libya ranks at the top of the list.

In recent months, however, a few African nations have seen minor drops in fuel costs, providing temporary respite to consumers, transport providers, and companies.

While the price decline is excellent news, experts warn that low diesel prices, particularly those caused by subsidies or short-term market trends, may have trade-offs and long-term repercussions for fiscal stability and energy security.

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Diesel fuels much of Africa’s heavy-duty economy. Diesel fuel is used by trucks delivering products across borders, public buses in congested cities, industrial machinery on building sites, and backup generators in places with intermittent energy.

As a result, any fall in diesel prices has a direct impact on company costs and the affordability of goods and services.

Lower fuel prices frequently result in cheaper public transit, lower food prices, and lower industrial production costs.

An attendant sells diesel to a motorist at a filling station at Warewa, along Lagos Ibadan expressway, Ogun State, southwest Nigeria. [Getty Images]

Lower fuel prices can cut the cost of running generators for homes, schools, and small businesses in rural regions, where grid energy is frequently unstable or nonexistent.

While recent price reductions are positive, there are some limitations. In resource-rich nations such as Angola and Nigeria, fuel profits, particularly from diesel and crude exports, account for a sizable share of national income.

When global prices fall, these nations lose foreign exchange profits, which might lead to budget deficits and a reduction in public investment in education, health, and infrastructure.

Furthermore, nations that use subsidies to artificially decrease fuel costs may face increased budgetary constraints.

Subsidies, while politically popular, are sometimes regressive, favoring richer residents who consume more fuel while discouraging investment in renewable energy and social programs.

They also skew market signals, discouraging conservation and innovative fuel efficiency solutions.

These are some nuanced factors to consider when celebrating low diesel costs; however, low diesel prices present more upside than downsides more times than not.

With that said, here are the 10 African countries with the least expensive diesel as of 14th July, as per data from Global PetrolPrices, when the global price was $1.22 per liter, compared to $1.19 in June.

Compared to last month’s list, Egypt, Angola, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Liberia saw an increase in diesel prices.

While Ethiopia saw a reduction in price.

Diesel prices for Libya, Algeria and Sudan remained the same. Zambia took the 10th spot this month, ousting Gabon.