Continent · Country Index 2026

Africa

How do the countries of Africa compare?

Half of Africa’s 54 placed countries sit at or above 148th of 183 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 5th of 5 continents. Mauritius is placed highest, 45th; South Sudan lowest, 183rd. None reaches the world’s top fifth. 1 more of its 55 countries and territories is not placed.

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AfricaUN M49 002

148th

median position of 183 · 5th of 5 continents

Every region →world midpoint 91st

55countries and territories
54placed in the Country Index 2026
148thmedian position of 183
5thof 5 continents
1.48 billionpeople, 2023the sum of 54 countries’ figures, UN DESA
29.7 millionkm² of land, 2024the sum of 54 countries’ figures, FAO

01Its sub-regions

The 5 sub-regions of Africa

Each card gives the sub-region’s median position and a bar from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country; the photographs are the three most populous members with a banner. Every country follows below.

02The region

About Africa

The African continent, from the Mediterranean coast to the Cape — 55 countries across five UN sub-regions.

Africa is the second-largest continent, stretching from the Mediterranean to the Cape of Good Hope and from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. The Sahara, the largest hot desert in the world, separates the north from the Sahel and the savannahs and tropical forests further south, while the Great Rift Valley runs through the east, lined by high mountains and deep lakes.

Some of the oldest known fossils of early humans have been found in Africa, and it was home to ancient Egypt, the kingdom of Aksum and the empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai. Most of the continent was colonised by European powers in the nineteenth century, and most of its states became independent in the second half of the twentieth. More than a thousand languages are spoken across it.

03Where

Africa on the map

Each member shaded by its position in the Country Index 2026, darkest for the best placed; the countries across its land borders in grey. Hover a country for its position, or select it to open its profile.

Country Index position: 1st183rdMember, not placedAcross the border, another regionNot a country this site tracks

04Country Index 2026

Where Africa’s countries place

Best placed first. Every position is a place in the whole world ranking of 183, never a second list within the region; “=” marks a position shared with another country. Hover the ⓘ for where a country would sit if any one key statistic were dropped.

The full Country Index 2026

Africa’s 54 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In region	Country	Sub-region	In the world
1	Mauritius	Eastern Africa	45 / 183between 44th and 47th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
2	Seychelles	Eastern Africa	46 / 183between 45th and 51st if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
3	South Africa	Southern Africa	93 / 183between 81st and 98th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
4	Cabo Verde	Western Africa	94 / 183between 81st and 96th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
5	Tunisia	Northern Africa	104 / 183between 96th and 109th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
6	Ghana	Western Africa	107 / 183between 96th and 112th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
7	Morocco	Northern Africa	113 / 183between 107th and 116th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
7	Namibia	Southern Africa	113 / 183between 104th and 118th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
9	São Tomé and Príncipe	Middle Africa	115 / 183between 100th and 117th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
10	Egypt	Northern Africa	116 / 183between 111th and 120th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
11	Kenya	Eastern Africa	117 / 183between 110th and 123rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
12	Botswana	Southern Africa	121 / 183between 115th and 127th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
13	Senegal	Western Africa	125 / 183between 121st and 128th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
14	Benin	Western Africa	126 / 183between 121st and 129th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
15	Rwanda	Eastern Africa	127 / 183between 123rd and 131st if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
16	Côte d’Ivoire	Western Africa	128 / 183between 123rd and 131st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
17	Togo	Western Africa	129 / 183between 126th and 133rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
18	Uganda	Eastern Africa	131 / 183between 125th and 144th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
19	Gabon	Middle Africa	135 / 183between 131st and 143rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
20	Malawi	Eastern Africa	136 / 183between 130th and 140th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
21	Zambia	Eastern Africa	138 / 183between 130th and 141st if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
22	Lesotho	Southern Africa	139 / 183between 132nd and 147th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
23	Tanzania	Eastern Africa	142 / 183between 137th and 145th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
24	Sierra Leone	Western Africa	145 / 183between 140th and 153rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
25	Algeria	Northern Africa	146 / 183between 138th and 147th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
26	Eswatini	Southern Africa	147 / 183between 142nd and 151st if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
27	Liberia	Western Africa	148 / 183between 145th and 151st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
28	Burkina Faso	Western Africa	149 / 183between 147th and 152nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
29	Cameroon	Middle Africa	150 / 183between 148th and 154th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
30	Nigeria	Western Africa	151 / 183between 148th and 153rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
31	Guinea	Western Africa	152 / 183between 148th and 160th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
32	Ethiopia	Eastern Africa	153 / 183between 148th and 159th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
33	Angola	Middle Africa	154 / 183between 151st and 159th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
34	Djibouti	Eastern Africa	156 / 183between 151st and 163rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
34	Gambia	Western Africa	156 / 183between 147th and 166th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
36	Mozambique	Eastern Africa	160 / 183between 153rd and 164th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
37	Mauritania	Western Africa	162 / 183between 160th and 168th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
38	Comoros	Eastern Africa	163 / 183between 158th and 164th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
39	Madagascar	Eastern Africa	164 / 183between 160th and 167th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
40	Burundi	Eastern Africa	165 / 183between 160th and 171st if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
41	Mali	Western Africa	166 / 183between 161st and 168th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
41	Republic of the Congo	Middle Africa	166 / 183between 159th and 168th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
43	Zimbabwe	Eastern Africa	168 / 183between 163rd and 170th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
44	Equatorial Guinea	Middle Africa	169 / 183between 167th and 175th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
45	Niger	Western Africa	170 / 183between 167th and 172nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
46	Guinea-Bissau	Western Africa	171 / 183between 167th and 172nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
47	DR Congo	Middle Africa	172 / 183between 169th and 174th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
48	Libya	Northern Africa	174 / 183between 170th and 178th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
49	Central African Republic	Middle Africa	175 / 183between 172nd and 178th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
50	Eritrea	Eastern Africa	177 / 183between 174th and 179th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
51	Sudan	Northern Africa	179 / 183between 176th and 180th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
52	Chad	Middle Africa	180 / 183between 178th and 180th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
53	Somalia	Eastern Africa	182 / 183between 180th and 183rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
54	South Sudan	Eastern Africa	183 / 183between 181st and 183rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 13 of 16 topics

A further 1 of its countries and territories is not placed: the Country Index 2026 places a country only once it holds a standing on 12 of its 16 voting topics. Somaliland.

Africa among the 5 continents with a median

5th of 5. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

1Europe26th39 of 49Placed countries run from Switzerland 1st to Russia 73rd.
2Americas81st33 of 48Placed countries run from Canada 24th to Haiti 173rd.
3Asia91st48 of 52Placed countries run from South Korea 13th to Yemen 181st.
4Oceania97th9 of 21Placed countries run from Australia 17th to Papua New Guinea 144th.
5Africa148th54 of 55Placed countries run from Mauritius 45th to South Sudan 183rd.
The world’s midpoint91st

1st183rdmedianplaced

The square is each region’s median position; the grey bar runs from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country. Hover a row for their names.

05By subject

Topic by topic

Each sub-region’s median position on each topic, its shade darker the higher it sits in that topic’s field. Strongest for Africa: Environment & Sustainability, 2nd of 5 continents. Weakest: Work & Labour, 5th of 5.

All topics

Africa: each sub-region’s median position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among continents.
	Environment & Sustainability	Digital & Technology	Gender & Equality	Democracy & Civil Liberties	Development & Human Capital	Economy & Innovation	Education & Knowledge	Energy	Food & Agriculture	Governance & Institutions	Health & Wellbeing	Mobility & Trade	Peace & Security	Poverty & Inequality	Risk & Resilience	Work & Labour	Money & Public Finance	People & Population
Northern Africa	126 of 186	81 of 198	158 of 183	147 of 198	100 of 196	128 of 176	87 of 198	119 of 165	81 of 184	110 of 194	102 of 200	88 of 177	139 of 177	47 of 159	129 of 193	158 of 182	No standing	No standing
Western Africa	34 of 186	101 of 198	120 of 183	128 of 198	179 of 196	144 of 176	166 of 198	103 of 165	143 of 184	131 of 194	165 of 200	135 of 177	104 of 177	119 of 159	148 of 193	107 of 182	No standing	No standing
Middle Africa	8 of 186	160 of 198	140 of 183	160 of 198	157 of 196	149 of 176	184 of 198	93 of 165	146 of 184	175 of 194	180 of 200	136 of 177	137 of 177	136 of 159	168 of 193	142 of 182	No standing	No standing
Eastern Africa	38 of 186	138 of 198	108 of 183	151 of 198	168 of 196	140 of 176	158 of 198	75 of 165	150 of 184	144 of 194	170 of 200	149 of 177	126 of 177	142 of 159	160 of 193	116 of 182	No standing	No standing
Southern Africa	72 of 186	117 of 198	66 of 183	66 of 198	130 of 196	105 of 176	102 of 198	54 of 165	140 of 184	84 of 194	168 of 200	39 of 177	57 of 177	147 of 159	122 of 193	157 of 182	No standing	No standing
Africa median	39th of 186	123rd of 198	125th of 183	142nd of 198	166th of 196	140th of 176	162nd of 198	97th of 165	149th of 184	146th of 194	168th of 200	139th of 177	121st of 177	128th of 159	150th of 193	138th of 182	—	—
Among continents	2nd of 5	3rd of 5	4th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	5th of 5	—	—

Columns run from the topic where Africa places best among continents to the one where it places lowest. A region’s median on a topic needs at least two members with a standing; a hatched cell has no standing.

06In numbers

Africa in 6 numbers

Each line is every country in the world at its published value; Africa’s countries are the red ticks, and the dashed line is the world median. There is no regional average: a region has countries, not a life expectancy of its own.

All statistics

Population
people · log scale
UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · no better end
No reading: Somaliland
Land area
km²
FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end
No reading: Somaliland
GDP per person
international $, PPP · log scale
World Bank Group · 2025 · 185 countries · higher is better
No reading: Eritrea, Somaliland, South Sudan
Life expectancy
years at birth
UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · higher is better
No reading: Somaliland
Human development
HDI, 0–1
UNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · 193 countries · higher is better
No reading: Somaliland
Unemployment
% of the labour force
ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better
No reading: Seychelles, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan

Every value for Africa’s countries

Country	Population 2023	Land area 2024	GDP per person 2025	Life expectancy 2023	Human development 2023	Unemployment 2025
Algeria	46,164,219rank 33	2,381,740rank 10	15,883rank 101	76.26rank 93	0.763rank 96	11.63rank 27
Angola	36,749,906rank 42	1,246,700rank 22	8,760rank 127	64.62rank 196	0.616rank 148	14.11rank 17
Benin	14,111,034rank 76	112,760rank 99	4,116rank 155	60.77rank 214	0.515rank 173	1.589rank 170
Botswana	2,480,244rank 146	566,730rank 47	17,687rank 92	69.16rank 163	0.731rank 111	24.48rank 4
Burkina Faso	23,025,776rank 60	273,600rank 74	2,625rank 173	61.09rank 213	0.459rank 186	3.477rank 127
Burundi	13,689,450rank 78	25,680rank 144	1,067rank 185	63.65rank 201	0.439rank 187	0.922rank 178
Cabo Verde	522,331rank 173	4,030rank 169	10,396rank 122	76.06rank 97	0.668rank 135	11.94rank 25
Cameroon	28,372,687rank 52	472,710rank 52	4,946rank 150	63.7rank 200	0.588rank 155	3.602rank 122
Central African Republic	5,152,421rank 124	622,980rank 43	1,123rank 184	57.41rank 219	0.414rank 191	6.251rank 68
Chad	19,319,064rank 66	1,259,200rank 21	2,481rank 174	55.07rank 221	0.416rank 190	1.057rank 177
Comoros	850,387rank 163	1,870rank 174	3,622rank 161	66.78rank 183	0.603rank 152	3.819rank 117
Côte d’Ivoire	31,165,654rank 50	318,000rank 67	7,015rank 138	61.94rank 209	0.582rank 157	2.323rank 161
Djibouti	1,152,944rank 161	23,180rank 147	7,223rank 137	65.99rank 190	0.513rank 175	26.02rank 3
DR Congo	105,789,731rank 15	2,267,050rank 11	1,641rank 180	61.9rank 210	0.522rank 171	4.434rank 110
Egypt	114,535,772rank 14	995,450rank 29	17,265rank 93	71.63rank 144	0.754rank 100	6.781rank 60
Equatorial Guinea	1,847,549rank 151	28,052rank 140	13,786rank 108	63.71rank 199	0.674rank 133	8.337rank 48
Eritrea	3,470,390rank 132	120,800rank 97	—	68.62rank 166	0.503rank 178	5.978rank 73
Eswatini	1,230,506rank 160	17,200rank 155	10,707rank 121	64.12rank 197	0.695rank 126	34.2rank 1
Ethiopia	128,691,692rank 11	1,122,135rank 25	3,095rank 167	67.31rank 177	0.497rank 180	3.323rank 130
Gabon	2,484,789rank 145	257,670rank 76	18,986rank 88	68.34rank 169	0.733rank 108	20.15rank 5
Gambia	2,697,845rank 144	10,120rank 162	3,167rank 166	65.86rank 191	0.524rank 170	6.521rank 65
Ghana	33,787,914rank 46	227,533rank 82	7,358rank 135	65.5rank 193	0.628rank 143	2.979rank 143
Guinea	14,405,468rank 75	245,720rank 78	4,217rank 154	60.74rank 215	0.5rank 179	5.163rank 89
Guinea-Bissau	2,153,339rank 148	28,120rank 139	2,814rank 170	64.08rank 198	0.514rank 174	2.673rank 155
Kenya	55,339,003rank 26	580,880rank 45	5,995rank 142	63.65rank 202	0.628rank 143	5.449rank 82
Lesotho	2,311,472rank 147	30,360rank 137	2,721rank 171	57.37rank 220	0.55rank 167	16.32rank 13
Liberia	5,493,031rank 120	96,320rank 106	1,693rank 178	62.16rank 207	0.51rank 177	2.884rank 147
Libya	7,305,659rank 106	1,759,540rank 16	14,118rank 106	69.34rank 160	0.721rank 115	18.76rank 9
Madagascar	31,195,932rank 49	581,800rank 44	1,668rank 179	63.63rank 203	0.487rank 183	3.041rank 141
Malawi	21,104,482rank 62	94,280rank 107	1,623rank 181	67.35rank 175	0.517rank 172	5.072rank 94
Mali	23,769,127rank 57	1,220,190rank 23	2,993rank 168	60.44rank 216	0.419rank 188	2.831rank 148
Mauritania	5,022,441rank 127	1,030,700rank 28	6,559rank 140	68.48rank 168	0.563rank 163	10.32rank 35
Mauritius	1,273,588rank 159	2,000rank 173	28,770rank 65	74.93rank 110	0.806rank 73	5.635rank 77
Morocco	37,712,505rank 41	446,300rank 55	9,495rank 125	75.31rank 105	0.71rank 120	9rank 41
Mozambique	33,635,160rank 47	786,380rank 34	1,451rank 182	63.61rank 204	0.493rank 182	6.628rank 62
Namibia	2,963,095rank 139	823,290rank 33	10,242rank 123	67.38rank 174	0.665rank 136	19.29rank 7
Niger	26,159,867rank 56	1,266,700rank 20	1,861rank 177	61.18rank 212	0.419rank 188	0.394rank 180
Nigeria	227,882,945rank 6	910,770rank 30	8,145rank 129	54.46rank 222	0.56rank 164	3.064rank 139
Republic of the Congo	6,182,885rank 113	341,500rank 65	6,194rank 141	65.77rank 192	0.649rank 138	19.88rank 6
Rwanda	13,954,471rank 77	23,763rank 146	3,559rank 162	67.79rank 171	0.578rank 159	11.36rank 29
São Tomé and Príncipe	230,871rank 182	960rank 177	5,459rank 146	69.72rank 159	0.637rank 141	9.132rank 40
Senegal	18,077,573rank 71	192,530rank 86	4,669rank 151	68.68rank 165	0.53rank 169	2.735rank 153
Seychelles	127,951rank 188	457rank 190	30,639rank 61	72.86rank 129	0.848rank 54	—
Sierra Leone	8,460,512rank 101	72,180rank 116	3,176rank 165	61.79rank 211	0.467rank 185	3.15rank 138
Somalia	18,358,615rank 68	627,340rank 42	1,404rank 183	58.82rank 217	0.404rank 192	18.95rank 8
South Africa	63,212,384rank 24	1,213,090rank 24	13,592rank 109	66.14rank 187	0.741rank 106	32.39rank 2
South Sudan	11,483,374rank 83	631,930rank 41	—	57.62rank 218	0.388rank 193	—
Sudan	50,042,791rank 30	1,868,000rank 15	1,873rank 176	66.33rank 186	0.511rank 176	—
Tanzania	66,617,606rank 22	884,000rank 31	3,821rank 159	67rank 180	0.555rank 165	1.572rank 171
Togo	8,223,850rank 102	54,390rank 124	3,486rank 163	62.74rank 206	0.571rank 161	1.995rank 167
Tunisia	12,200,431rank 80	155,360rank 92	13,018rank 110	76.51rank 89	0.746rank 105	15.11rank 15
Uganda	48,656,601rank 31	200,520rank 85	2,980rank 169	68.25rank 170	0.582rank 157	2.746rank 152
Zambia	20,723,965rank 63	743,390rank 37	3,742rank 160	66.35rank 185	0.595rank 154	5.918rank 75
Zimbabwe	16,340,822rank 74	386,850rank 61	5,529rank 145	62.77rank 205	0.598rank 153	9.293rank 38

07In records

Africa in records

The member at the extreme of each statistic, read from its newest edition. Where two members share the top, no record is named.

Most populous
Nigeria
227,882,945
people
UN DESA Population Division · data for 2023
Largest by land area
Algeria
2,381,740
square kilometres
FAO · data for 2024
Highest GDP per person
Seychelles
30,639
international $ at purchasing power parity
World Bank Group · data for 2025
Longest life expectancy
Tunisia
76.51
years at birth
UN DESA Population Division · data for 2023
Highest human development
Seychelles
0.848
on the Human Development Index, 0–1
UNDP Human Development Report Office · data for 2023
Perceived as least corrupt
Seychelles
68
on the Corruption Perceptions Index, 0–100
Transparency International · data for 2025

08Latest editions

Who rose and fell in the published ranks

The moves of Africa’s countries between each report’s two newest editions, in the publisher’s own ranks. A report whose field changed by more than 5% is left out.

Ranks as published by UNDP Human Development Report Office in the Human Development Index: reference years 2022 (192 countries ranked) → 2023 (193 ranked), both from its 2025 report.

Improved most

rank before → after

Côte d’Ivoire162 → 157+5
Gabon111 → 108+3
Seychelles56 → 54+2

Declined most

rank before → after

Libya106 → 115−9
Sudan171 → 176−5
Angola146 → 148−2

Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

The countries outside Africa that share a land border with one of its members, with their world positions, and the continents they belong to. Land borders only, as drawn on the map.

Asia

The neighbouring continents

Asia91stmedian of 183 · 3rd of 5

10Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The other continents

11Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Africa?

Africa holds 55 countries and territories on this site, in 5 UN sub-regions: Northern Africa, Western Africa, Middle Africa, Eastern Africa and Southern Africa. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in Africa is placed highest?

Mauritius, placed 45th of 183 in the Country Index 2026. South Sudan is placed lowest, 183rd. 54 of the region’s 55 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Africa compare with other regions?

Half of its 54 placed countries sit at or above 148th of 183, which places it 5th of 5 continents. The middle of the whole field is 91st. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

How many people live in Africa?

1,477,914,121 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for 54 of its 55 countries and territories. No figure is published for Somaliland.

What is the largest country in Africa?

By land area, Algeria: 2,381,740 square kilometres (2024). By population, Nigeria: 227,882,945 people (2023).

How a region’s figure is made

Membership. Countries belong to regions by the United Nations’ M49 classification; each country declares its sub-region, and a continent is the sum of its sub-regions.
Positions. Each country’s position is its Country Index 2026 result, unchanged. This page slices the world ranking by place; it does not re-rank anyone.
The median. A region’s figure is the median of its placed countries’ positions: half sit at or above it, half below. With an even number of placed countries it takes the better of the two middle positions, since there is no country at a half place. Countries the index does not place are named, never counted in.
A place among peers. Continents are compared with continents and sub-regions with sub-regions, never a part with the whole that contains it; regions sharing a median share a place. Nothing is weighted by population or size, and population and land area are the only figures ever added up.

Where the regions come from

United Nations Statistics Division, Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49). M49’s middle level (Sub-Saharan Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean) is left out, so every sub-region sits directly under its continent. Kosovo, Northern Cyprus and Somaliland are not in M49 and are placed by geography.

Where the positions come from

Every position is a country’s result in the Country Index 2026 or one of its topics, unchanged. The population and land-area figures are the UN DESA Population Division’s and the FAO’s, added up and shown with their year; every other statistic names its publisher beside its numbers.

Photographs

Each country’s own banner from its profile: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Egypt — Rudolph.A.furtado, CC0
Sudan — Retlaw Snellac derivative work: JamesA, CC BY 2.0
Algeria — Daggett.fr derivative work: JamesA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Nigeria — Slashme, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ghana — Erik Cleves Kristensen derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 2.0
Côte d’Ivoire — Axe derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
DR Congo — Christina Bergey derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Angola — Paulo César Santos derivative work: Jjtkk, CC0
Cameroon — ymea derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ethiopia — Bernard Gagnon derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי, CC BY-SA 3.0
Tanzania — ZSM , cropped by Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Kenya — John Storr, CC0
South Africa — Damien du Toit, CC BY 2.0
Namibia — Hans Hillewaert derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Botswana — Joachim Huber derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 2.0

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Africa: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/africa

Africa

The 5 sub-regions of Africa

Northern Africa

Western Africa

Middle Africa

Eastern Africa

Southern Africa

Every country in Africa

Northern Africamedian 116th

Western Africamedian 148th

Middle Africamedian 166th

Eastern Africamedian 153rd

Southern Africamedian 121st

About Africa

Africa on the map

Where Africa’s countries place

Africa among the 5 continents with a median

Topic by topic

Africa in 6 numbers

Population

Land area

GDP per person

Life expectancy

Human development

Unemployment

Africa in records

Who rose and fell in the published ranks

Improved most

Declined most

Improved most

Declined most

Improved most

Declined most

Improved most

Declined most

Improved most

Declined most

Improved most

Declined most

Across the border

Asia

The neighbouring continents

Explore further

The other continents

Americas

Asia

Europe

Oceania

Questions, method and sources

Where the regions come from

Where the positions come from

Photographs

Cite this page