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Sub-region of Africa · Country Index 2026

Southern Africa

How are the countries of Southern Africa doing?

Half of Southern Africa’s 5 placed countries sit at or above 121st of 183 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 19th of 22 sub-regions. South Africa is placed highest, 93rd; Eswatini lowest, 147th. None reaches the world’s top fifth.

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Southern AfricaUN M49 018

Southern Africa, shown in red on a map of the world

121st

median position of 183 · 19th of 22 sub-regions

Africa →median 148th

01Who is in it

The countries of Southern Africa

Alphabetical, with each country’s own banner photograph. The position is its place in the whole world ranking, never within the region.

02The region

About Southern Africa

The continent's southern tip: South Africa and its four neighbours.

Southern Africa is the southern tip of the continent: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and the kingdoms of Lesotho and Eswatini. Its landscapes run from the Namib and Kalahari deserts in the west to the Drakensberg mountains and the subtropical east coast, and to the southern coast where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.

The region has been home to San and Khoekhoe peoples for thousands of years and to Bantu-speaking farmers for many centuries. European settlement from the seventeenth century and the discovery of diamonds and gold shaped its modern history, and apartheid in South Africa ended in the early 1990s. Its economies are closely linked through a customs union that is among the oldest in the world.

03Where

Southern 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 Southern 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
Southern Africa’s 5 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountryIn the world1st183rd
1South Africa93 / 183between 81st and 98th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
2Namibia113 / 183between 104th and 118th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
3Botswana121 / 183between 115th and 127th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
4Lesotho139 / 183between 132nd and 147th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
5Eswatini147 / 183between 142nd and 151st if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics

Southern Africa among the 22 sub-regions with a median

19th of 22. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

  1. Western Europe8thPlaced countries run from Switzerland 1st to France 19th.
  2. Northern Europe11thPlaced countries run from Denmark 2nd to Latvia 26th.
  3. Australia and New Zealand17thPlaced countries run from Australia 17th to New Zealand 19th.
  4. Northern America24thPlaced countries run from Canada 24th to United States 37th.
  5. Southern Europe31stPlaced countries run from Slovenia 14th to Bosnia and Herzegovina 62nd.
  6. Eastern Asia42ndPlaced countries run from South Korea 13th to Mongolia 75th.
  7. Eastern Europe43rdPlaced countries run from Czechia 10th to Russia 73rd.
  8. Central America80thPlaced countries run from Costa Rica 40th to Nicaragua 134th.
  9. Caribbean81stPlaced countries run from Barbados 67th to Haiti 173rd.
  10. South America83rdPlaced countries run from Uruguay 35th to Venezuela 133rd.
  11. South-eastern Asia86thPlaced countries run from Singapore 25th to Myanmar 159th.
  12. Polynesia89thPlaced countries run from Samoa 89th to Tonga 97th.
  13. Western Asia95thPlaced countries run from Cyprus 33rd to Yemen 181st.
  14. Central Asia102ndPlaced countries run from Kazakhstan 61st to Turkmenistan 158th.
  15. Southern Asia106thPlaced countries run from Bhutan 52nd to Afghanistan 175th.
  16. Melanesia107thPlaced countries run from Fiji 64th to Papua New Guinea 144th.
  17. Micronesia109thPlaced countries run from Kiribati 109th to Kiribati 109th.
  18. Northern Africa116thPlaced countries run from Tunisia 104th to Sudan 179th.
  19. Southern Africa121stPlaced countries run from South Africa 93rd to Eswatini 147th.
  20. Western Africa148thPlaced countries run from Cabo Verde 94th to Guinea-Bissau 171st.
  21. Eastern Africa153rdPlaced countries run from Mauritius 45th to South Sudan 183rd.
  22. Middle Africa166thPlaced countries run from São Tomé and Príncipe 115th to Chad 180th.
  23. Africa, the whole continent148th
  24. The world’s midpoint91st
1st183rdmedian

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

Every country’s position on each topic, its shade darker the higher it sits in that topic’s field; select a cell for the country’s page on the topic. Strongest for Southern Africa: Mobility & Trade, 7th of 22 sub-regions. Weakest: Poverty & Inequality, 21st of 21.

All topics
Southern Africa: each country’s position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among sub-regions.
Mobility & TradeDemocracy & Civil LibertiesEnvironment & SustainabilityPeace & SecurityEnergyGender & EqualityGovernance & InstitutionsEconomy & InnovationEducation & KnowledgeRisk & ResilienceDigital & TechnologyDevelopment & Human CapitalFood & AgricultureHealth & WellbeingWork & LabourPoverty & InequalityMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
South Africa39 of 17765 of 198172 of 18672 of 177No standing40 of 18354 of 194101 of 176102 of 198152 of 19361 of 198116 of 19677 of 184148 of 200134 of 182145 of 159No standingNo standing
Namibia104 of 17766 of 19872 of 18649 of 17739 of 16566 of 18384 of 194100 of 17680 of 198155 of 193117 of 198129 of 196167 of 184175 of 200157 of 182143 of 159No standingNo standing
BotswanaNo standing61 of 19855 of 18652 of 177158 of 165121 of 18365 of 194105 of 176102 of 19898 of 193109 of 198143 of 196134 of 184157 of 200162 of 182147 of 159No standingNo standing
LesothoNo standing73 of 19822 of 18657 of 177No standing62 of 183115 of 194132 of 176154 of 198111 of 193158 of 198178 of 196158 of 184194 of 200140 of 182151 of 159No standingNo standing
EswatiniNo standing181 of 198103 of 186114 of 17754 of 165135 of 183156 of 194112 of 176101 of 198122 of 193129 of 198130 of 196140 of 184168 of 200174 of 182154 of 159No standingNo standing
Region median39th of 17766th of 19872nd of 18657th of 17754th of 16566th of 18384th of 194105th of 176102nd of 198122nd of 193117th of 198130th of 196140th of 184168th of 200157th of 182147th of 159——
Among sub-regions7th of 228th of 228th of 218th of 209th of 2110th of 2110th of 2214th of 2114th of 2214th of 2215th of 2217th of 2219th of 2220th of 2220th of 2121st of 21——

Columns run from the topic where Southern Africa places best among sub-regions 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

Southern Africa in 6 numbers

Each line is every country in the world at its published value; Southern 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

    EswatiniLesothoBotswanaNamibiaSouth Africa496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    EswatiniLesothoBotswanaNamibia0.4world median 87,58916,376,870

  • GDP per person

    international $, PPP · log scale

    World Bank Group · 2025 · 185 countries · higher is better

    LesothoNamibiaEswatiniSouth AfricaBotswana1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

    UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · higher is better

    LesothoEswatiniSouth AfricaNamibiaBotswana54.46world median 74.6386.37

  • Human development

    HDI, 0–1

    UNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · 193 countries · higher is better

    LesothoNamibiaEswatiniBotswanaSouth Africa0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    LesothoNamibiaBotswanaSouth AfricaEswatini0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for Southern Africa’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
Botswana2,480,244rank 146566,730rank 4717,687rank 9269.16rank 1630.731rank 11124.48rank 4
Eswatini1,230,506rank 16017,200rank 15510,707rank 12164.12rank 1970.695rank 12634.2rank 1
Lesotho2,311,472rank 14730,360rank 1372,721rank 17157.37rank 2200.55rank 16716.32rank 13
Namibia2,963,095rank 139823,290rank 3310,242rank 12367.38rank 1740.665rank 13619.29rank 7
South Africa63,212,384rank 241,213,090rank 2413,592rank 10966.14rank 1870.741rank 10632.39rank 2

07In records

Southern 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.

08Latest editions

Who rose and fell in the published ranks

The moves of Southern 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
  1. South Africa107 → 106+1
  2. Botswana112 → 111+1
  3. Namibia137 → 136+1

Declined most

rank before → after

No country moved this way.

Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

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

Middle Africa

The neighbouring sub-regions

10Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The rest of Africa

11Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Southern Africa?

5 countries and territories: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in Southern Africa is placed highest?

South Africa, placed 93rd of 183 in the Country Index 2026. Eswatini is placed lowest, 147th. 5 of the region’s 5 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Southern Africa compare with other regions?

Half of its 5 placed countries sit at or above 121st of 183, which places it 19th of 22 sub-regions. The median across Africa is 148th. The middle of the whole field is 91st. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

How many people live in Southern Africa?

72,197,701 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for its 5 countries and territories.

What is the largest country in Southern Africa?

By land area, South Africa: 1,213,090 square kilometres (2024). By population, South Africa: 63,212,384 people (2023).

How a region’s figure is made
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Cite this page

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

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