Continent · Country Index 2026

Africa

How do the countries of Africa compare?

Half of Africa’s 53 placed countries sit at or above 143rd of 178 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 5th of 5 continents. Mauritius is placed highest, 46th; Somalia lowest, joint 177th. None reaches the world’s top fifth. 2 more of its 55 countries and territories are not placed.

AfricaUN M49 002

143rd

median position of 178 · 5th of 5 continents

Every region →world midpoint 88th

55countries and territories
53placed in the Country Index 2026
143rdmedian position of 178
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: 1st178thMember, 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 178, 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 53 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In region	Country	Sub-region	In the world
1	Mauritius	Eastern Africa	46 / 178between 44th and 48th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
2	Seychelles	Eastern Africa	48 / 178between 44th and 53rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 13 of 16 topics
3	Cabo Verde	Western Africa	74 / 178between 66th and 82nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
4	South Africa	Southern Africa	102 / 178between 91st and 110th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
5	São Tomé and Príncipe	Middle Africa	104 / 178between 89th and 112th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
6	Ghana	Western Africa	105 / 178between 98th and 111th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
7	Tunisia	Northern Africa	107 / 178between 102nd and 113th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
8	Namibia	Southern Africa	108 / 178between 104th and 115th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
9	Egypt	Northern Africa	110 / 178between 105th and 120th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
10	Botswana	Southern Africa	116 / 178between 111th and 125th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
10	Kenya	Eastern Africa	116 / 178between 113th and 124th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
12	Senegal	Western Africa	119 / 178between 115th and 123rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
13	Côte d’Ivoire	Western Africa	121 / 178between 114th and 125th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
14	Rwanda	Eastern Africa	122 / 178between 116th and 128th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
15	Benin	Western Africa	123 / 178between 117th and 130th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
16	Togo	Western Africa	125 / 178between 120th and 131st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
17	Morocco	Northern Africa	127 / 178between 122nd and 132nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
18	Zambia	Eastern Africa	128 / 178between 122nd and 132nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
19	Uganda	Eastern Africa	129 / 178between 122nd and 139th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
20	Gabon	Middle Africa	131 / 178between 125th and 137th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
21	Lesotho	Southern Africa	132 / 178between 126th and 139th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
22	Malawi	Eastern Africa	135 / 178between 128th and 145th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
22	Tanzania	Eastern Africa	135 / 178between 130th and 141st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
24	Eswatini	Southern Africa	140 / 178between 135th and 144th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
24	Sierra Leone	Western Africa	140 / 178between 136th and 150th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
26	Algeria	Northern Africa	142 / 178between 133rd and 149th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
27	Ethiopia	Eastern Africa	143 / 178between 140th and 149th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
28	Nigeria	Western Africa	144 / 178between 141st and 149th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
29	Cameroon	Middle Africa	145 / 178between 142nd and 151st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
30	Liberia	Western Africa	147 / 178between 141st and 152nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
31	Burkina Faso	Western Africa	150 / 178between 147th and 154th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
31	Comoros	Eastern Africa	150 / 178between 145th and 157th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
33	Guinea	Western Africa	152 / 178between 147th and 158th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
34	Djibouti	Eastern Africa	154 / 178between 151st and 161st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
35	Angola	Middle Africa	155 / 178between 151st and 160th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
36	Burundi	Eastern Africa	157 / 178between 152nd and 167th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
37	Mali	Western Africa	158 / 178between 155th and 162nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
38	Gambia	Western Africa	159 / 178between 153rd and 165th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
38	Madagascar	Eastern Africa	159 / 178between 156th and 163rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
40	Republic of the Congo	Middle Africa	161 / 178between 155th and 166th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
41	Mauritania	Western Africa	162 / 178between 159th and 166th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
42	Mozambique	Eastern Africa	163 / 178between 157th and 167th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
42	Zimbabwe	Eastern Africa	163 / 178between 158th and 164th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
44	Equatorial Guinea	Middle Africa	165 / 178between 161st and 168th if any one key were dropped · standings on 13 of 16 topics
45	Niger	Western Africa	166 / 178between 162nd and 169th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
46	DR Congo	Middle Africa	167 / 178between 165th and 172nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
47	Guinea-Bissau	Western Africa	168 / 178between 164th and 171st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
48	Central African Republic	Middle Africa	171 / 178between 168th and 177th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
49	Sudan	Northern Africa	173 / 178between 171st and 177th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
50	Libya	Northern Africa	174 / 178between 170th and 177th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
51	Chad	Middle Africa	175 / 178between 173rd and 178th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
52	Somalia	Eastern Africa	177 / 178between 175th and 181st if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
52	South Sudan	Eastern Africa	177 / 178between 175th and 181st if any one key were dropped · standings on 13 of 16 topics

A further 2 of its countries and territories are not placed: the Country Index 2026 places a country only once it holds a standing on 12 of its 16 voting topics. Eritrea and Somaliland.

Africa among the 5 continents with a median

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

1Europe25th39 of 49Placed countries run from Switzerland 1st to Russia 68th.
2Oceania70th8 of 21Placed countries run from New Zealand 17th to Papua New Guinea 138th.
3Americas78th32 of 48Placed countries run from Canada 17th to Haiti 169th.
4Asia91st46 of 52Placed countries run from South Korea 14th to Yemen 176th.
5Africa143rd53 of 55Placed countries run from Mauritius 46th to Somalia 177th.
The world’s midpoint88th

1st178thmedianplaced

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, 1st 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	102 of 181	96 of 198	159 of 183	145 of 198	100 of 196	128 of 176	62 of 171	134 of 193	114 of 175	110 of 194	101 of 200	98 of 147	139 of 177	47 of 159	120 of 192	158 of 182	No standing	No standing
Western Africa	23 of 181	114 of 198	120 of 183	121 of 198	179 of 196	144 of 176	143 of 171	121 of 193	131 of 175	131 of 194	164 of 200	107 of 147	104 of 177	109 of 159	138 of 192	107 of 182	No standing	No standing
Middle Africa	15 of 181	163 of 198	141 of 183	162 of 198	157 of 196	149 of 176	137 of 171	107 of 193	154 of 175	175 of 194	183 of 200	107 of 147	137 of 177	126 of 159	167 of 192	142 of 182	No standing	No standing
Eastern Africa	34 of 181	124 of 198	108 of 183	141 of 198	168 of 196	140 of 176	148 of 171	84 of 193	149 of 175	144 of 194	169 of 200	120 of 147	126 of 177	136 of 159	159 of 192	116 of 182	No standing	No standing
Southern Africa	63 of 181	117 of 198	79 of 183	70 of 198	130 of 196	105 of 176	81 of 171	62 of 193	99 of 175	84 of 194	165 of 200	45 of 147	57 of 177	150 of 159	93 of 192	157 of 182	No standing	No standing
Africa median	32nd of 181	123rd of 198	127th of 183	140th of 198	166th of 196	140th of 176	139th of 171	115th of 193	143rd of 175	146th of 194	167th of 200	107th of 147	121st of 177	126th of 159	143rd of 192	138th of 182	—	—
Among continents	1st 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 178 · 4th 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 46th of 178 in the Country Index 2026. Somalia is placed lowest, joint 177th. 53 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 53 placed countries sit at or above 143rd of 178, which places it 5th of 5 continents. The middle of the whole field is 88th. 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 127th

Western Africamedian 144th

Middle Africamedian 161st

Eastern Africamedian 143rd

Southern Africamedian 116th

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