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Sub-region of Africa · Country Index 2026

Eastern Africa

How are the countries of Eastern Africa doing?

Half of Eastern Africa’s 17 placed countries sit at or above 143rd of 178 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 19th of 21 sub-regions. Mauritius is placed highest, 46th; Somalia lowest, joint 177th. None reaches the world’s top fifth. 2 more of its 19 countries and territories are not placed.

Eastern AfricaUN M49 014

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

143rd

median position of 178 · 19th of 21 sub-regions

Africa →median 143rd

01Who is in it

The countries of Eastern 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 Eastern Africa

The Horn, the Great Lakes and the Indian Ocean coast, from Eritrea to Zimbabwe.

Eastern Africa runs from the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea south through the Great Lakes to Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and out to the islands of the Indian Ocean, from Madagascar to Mauritius and Seychelles. The Great Rift Valley crosses the region, flanked by volcanic highlands, Mount Kilimanjaro and some of the largest and deepest lakes in the world.

Some of the oldest fossils of early humans have been found here, and the region was home to the kingdom of Aksum, the Swahili trading towns of the coast and the kingdoms of the Great Lakes. Ethiopia was never colonised apart from a brief occupation, while most of its neighbours became independent from Britain, France, Italy, Belgium and Portugal in the twentieth century. Swahili is widely spoken as a shared language.

03Where

Eastern 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 Eastern 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
Eastern Africa’s 17 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountryIn the world1st178th
1Mauritius46 / 178between 44th and 48th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
2Seychelles48 / 178between 44th and 53rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 13 of 16 topics
3Kenya116 / 178between 113th and 124th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
4Rwanda122 / 178between 116th and 128th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
5Zambia128 / 178between 122nd and 132nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
6Uganda129 / 178between 122nd and 139th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
7Malawi135 / 178between 128th and 145th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
7Tanzania135 / 178between 130th and 141st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
9Ethiopia143 / 178between 140th and 149th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
10Comoros150 / 178between 145th and 157th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
11Djibouti154 / 178between 151st and 161st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
12Burundi157 / 178between 152nd and 167th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
13Madagascar159 / 178between 156th and 163rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
14Mozambique163 / 178between 157th and 167th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
14Zimbabwe163 / 178between 158th and 164th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
16Somalia177 / 178between 175th and 181st if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
16South Sudan177 / 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.

Eastern Africa among the 21 sub-regions with a median

19th of 21. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

  1. Northern Europe6thPlaced countries run from Denmark 2nd to Latvia 25th.
  2. Western Europe10thPlaced countries run from Switzerland 1st to France 19th.
  3. Australia and New Zealand17thPlaced countries run from New Zealand 17th to Australia 24th.
  4. Northern America17thPlaced countries run from Canada 17th to United States 37th.
  5. Eastern Asia23rdPlaced countries run from South Korea 14th to Mongolia 73rd.
  6. Southern Europe32ndPlaced countries run from Slovenia 12th to Bosnia and Herzegovina 63rd.
  7. Eastern Europe39thPlaced countries run from Czechia 11th to Russia 68th.
  8. Polynesia70thPlaced countries run from Samoa 70th to Tonga 85th.
  9. South America74thPlaced countries run from Uruguay 34th to Venezuela 137th.
  10. Caribbean78thPlaced countries run from Barbados 63rd to Haiti 169th.
  11. Central America81stPlaced countries run from Costa Rica 40th to Nicaragua 134th.
  12. Western Asia93rdPlaced countries run from Cyprus 35th to Yemen 176th.
  13. South-eastern Asia95thPlaced countries run from Singapore 26th to Myanmar 153rd.
  14. Central Asia100thPlaced countries run from Kazakhstan 60th to Turkmenistan 148th.
  15. Southern Asia100thPlaced countries run from Bhutan 44th to Afghanistan 172nd.
  16. Melanesia106thPlaced countries run from Fiji 62nd to Papua New Guinea 138th.
  17. Southern Africa116thPlaced countries run from South Africa 102nd to Eswatini 140th.
  18. Northern Africa127thPlaced countries run from Tunisia 107th to Libya 174th.
  19. Eastern Africa143rdPlaced countries run from Mauritius 46th to Somalia 177th.
  20. Western Africa144thPlaced countries run from Cabo Verde 74th to Guinea-Bissau 168th.
  21. Middle Africa161stPlaced countries run from São Tomé and Príncipe 104th to Chad 175th.
  22. Micronesia—
  23. Africa, the whole continent143rd
  24. The world’s midpoint88th
1st178thmedian

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 Eastern Africa: Environment & Sustainability, 4th of 21 sub-regions. Weakest: Mobility & Trade, 21st of 21.

All topics
Eastern Africa: each country’s position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among sub-regions.
Environment & SustainabilityEnergyGender & EqualityWork & LabourPeace & SecurityDigital & TechnologyDemocracy & Civil LibertiesEconomy & InnovationFood & AgricultureGovernance & InstitutionsPoverty & InequalityRisk & ResilienceDevelopment & Human CapitalEducation & KnowledgeHealth & WellbeingMobility & TradeMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
Mauritius134 of 181128 of 19370 of 183114 of 18225 of 17716 of 19850 of 19836 of 17662 of 17541 of 19457 of 15968 of 19280 of 19636 of 171120 of 20084 of 147No standingNo standing
SeychellesNo standing135 of 19348 of 183No standing4 of 177124 of 19848 of 19849 of 176No standing38 of 19445 of 15929 of 19274 of 19692 of 171107 of 200145 of 147No standingNo standing
Kenya45 of 18157 of 193104 of 183139 of 182111 of 17771 of 198116 of 19882 of 176151 of 17596 of 194134 of 159168 of 192167 of 196111 of 171167 of 200No standingNo standingNo standing
Rwanda20 of 18168 of 19359 of 183158 of 182128 of 17788 of 198140 of 198125 of 176155 of 17581 of 194133 of 159132 of 192168 of 19696 of 171162 of 200No standingNo standingNo standing
Zambia48 of 18170 of 193106 of 183163 of 18299 of 17791 of 198106 of 198140 of 176108 of 175113 of 194159 of 159123 of 192142 of 196123 of 171173 of 200No standingNo standingNo standing
Uganda23 of 1813 of 193101 of 18383 of 182148 of 177105 of 198146 of 198122 of 176131 of 175141 of 194139 of 159147 of 192172 of 196155 of 171157 of 200No standingNo standingNo standing
Malawi6 of 18165 of 193127 of 183140 of 18272 of 177123 of 19899 of 198161 of 176128 of 175118 of 194143 of 159151 of 192159 of 196159 of 171180 of 200No standingNo standingNo standing
Tanzania44 of 181116 of 193114 of 18329 of 182100 of 17761 of 198141 of 198141 of 176146 of 17595 of 194144 of 159177 of 192173 of 196148 of 171169 of 200102 of 147No standingNo standing
Ethiopia47 of 18151 of 193129 of 183116 of 182155 of 177119 of 198159 of 198148 of 176140 of 175144 of 19490 of 159161 of 192174 of 196152 of 171174 of 200No standingNo standingNo standing
Comoros8 of 181No standing144 of 183133 of 182152 of 177172 of 198129 of 198134 of 176152 of 175174 of 19486 of 15988 of 192168 of 196141 of 171159 of 200No standingNo standingNo standing
Djibouti40 of 18184 of 193108 of 183173 of 182128 of 177171 of 198172 of 198135 of 176134 of 175159 of 194140 of 159179 of 192163 of 196145 of 171168 of 20074 of 147No standingNo standing
Burundi17 of 18129 of 193143 of 18371 of 182147 of 177131 of 198183 of 198157 of 176159 of 175185 of 194136 of 159159 of 192182 of 196160 of 171185 of 200No standingNo standingNo standing
Madagascar34 of 181115 of 193113 of 18399 of 182100 of 177162 of 198138 of 198171 of 176149 of 175169 of 194131 of 159185 of 192182 of 196135 of 171187 of 200135 of 147No standingNo standing
Mozambique2 of 18175 of 19389 of 18366 of 182150 of 177170 of 198156 of 198165 of 176172 of 175150 of 194158 of 159188 of 192165 of 196168 of 171189 of 200120 of 147No standingNo standing
Zimbabwe73 of 181101 of 19385 of 183102 of 182126 of 177149 of 198157 of 198143 of 176171 of 175162 of 194155 of 159119 of 192161 of 196156 of 171179 of 200143 of 147No standingNo standing
Somalia35 of 181114 of 193171 of 183180 of 182170 of 177184 of 198181 of 198176 of 176175 of 175180 of 194No standing192 of 192194 of 196170 of 171199 of 200131 of 147No standingNo standing
South Sudan18 of 181181 of 193156 of 183No standing173 of 177195 of 198189 of 198No standing165 of 175190 of 194153 of 159163 of 192196 of 196171 of 171200 of 200No standingNo standingNo standing
Eritrea26 of 181149 of 193163 of 183117 of 182126 of 177198 of 198198 of 198No standingNo standing191 of 194No standing163 of 192181 of 196No standing151 of 200No standingNo standingNo standing
SomalilandNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standing119 of 198No standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standing
Region median34th of 18184th of 193108th of 183116th of 182126th of 177124th of 198141st of 198140th of 176149th of 175144th of 194136th of 159159th of 192168th of 196148th of 171169th of 200120th of 147——
Among sub-regions4th of 2110th of 2215th of 2115th of 2116th of 2017th of 2218th of 2219th of 2120th of 2120th of 2220th of 2120th of 2221st of 2221st of 2121st of 2221st of 21——

Columns run from the topic where Eastern 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

Eastern Africa in 6 numbers

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

    SeychellesEthiopia496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    No reading: Somaliland

    SeychellesEthiopia0.4world median 87,58916,376,870

  • GDP per person

    international $, PPP · log scale

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

    No reading: Eritrea, Somaliland, South Sudan

    BurundiSeychelles1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

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

    No reading: Somaliland

    South SudanMauritius54.46world median 74.6386.37

  • Human development

    HDI, 0–1

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

    No reading: Somaliland

    South SudanSeychelles0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    No reading: Seychelles, Somaliland, South Sudan

    BurundiDjibouti0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for Eastern Africa’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
Burundi13,689,450rank 7825,680rank 1441,067rank 18563.65rank 2010.439rank 1870.922rank 178
Comoros850,387rank 1631,870rank 1743,622rank 16166.78rank 1830.603rank 1523.819rank 117
Djibouti1,152,944rank 16123,180rank 1477,223rank 13765.99rank 1900.513rank 17526.02rank 3
Eritrea3,470,390rank 132120,800rank 97—68.62rank 1660.503rank 1785.978rank 73
Ethiopia128,691,692rank 111,122,135rank 253,095rank 16767.31rank 1770.497rank 1803.323rank 130
Kenya55,339,003rank 26580,880rank 455,995rank 14263.65rank 2020.628rank 1435.449rank 82
Madagascar31,195,932rank 49581,800rank 441,668rank 17963.63rank 2030.487rank 1833.041rank 141
Malawi21,104,482rank 6294,280rank 1071,623rank 18167.35rank 1750.517rank 1725.072rank 94
Mauritius1,273,588rank 1592,000rank 17328,770rank 6574.93rank 1100.806rank 735.635rank 77
Mozambique33,635,160rank 47786,380rank 341,451rank 18263.61rank 2040.493rank 1826.628rank 62
Rwanda13,954,471rank 7723,763rank 1463,559rank 16267.79rank 1710.578rank 15911.36rank 29
Seychelles127,951rank 188457rank 19030,639rank 6172.86rank 1290.848rank 54—
Somalia18,358,615rank 68627,340rank 421,404rank 18358.82rank 2170.404rank 19218.95rank 8
South Sudan11,483,374rank 83631,930rank 41—57.62rank 2180.388rank 193—
Tanzania66,617,606rank 22884,000rank 313,821rank 15967rank 1800.555rank 1651.572rank 171
Uganda48,656,601rank 31200,520rank 852,980rank 16968.25rank 1700.582rank 1572.746rank 152
Zambia20,723,965rank 63743,390rank 373,742rank 16066.35rank 1850.595rank 1545.918rank 75
Zimbabwe16,340,822rank 74386,850rank 615,529rank 14562.77rank 2050.598rank 1539.293rank 38

07In records

Eastern 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 Eastern 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. Seychelles56 → 54+2
  2. Mauritius75 → 73+2
  3. Rwanda160 → 159+1

Declined most

rank before → after
  1. South Sudan191 → 193−2
  2. Comoros151 → 152−1
Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

The countries outside Eastern 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.

Northern Africa

The neighbouring sub-regions

10Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The rest of Africa

11Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Eastern Africa?

19 countries and territories: Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification. Somaliland is not listed by M49. This site places it here by geography, and listing it takes no position on its status.

Which country in Eastern Africa is placed highest?

Mauritius, placed 46th of 178 in the Country Index 2026. Somalia is placed lowest, joint 177th. 17 of the region’s 19 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Eastern Africa compare with other regions?

Half of its 17 placed countries sit at or above 143rd of 178, which places it 19th of 21 sub-regions. The median across Africa is 143rd. The middle of the whole field is 88th. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

How many people live in Eastern Africa?

486,666,433 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for 18 of its 19 countries and territories. No figure is published for Somaliland.

What is the largest country in Eastern Africa?

By land area, Ethiopia: 1,122,135 square kilometres (2024). By population, Ethiopia: 128,691,692 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). Eastern Africa: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/eastern-africa

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