The East Africa region covers 13 countries with overlapping memberships in four African Union-recognized regional economic communities. These regional economic communities are the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Other regional blocs to which some of the countries belong are the Indian Ocean Community, the Economic Community of Great Lakes Countries, and the Economic Community of Central African States.

The 13 countries are Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.