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Sub-region of Africa · Country Index 2026

Northern Africa

How are the countries of Northern Africa doing?

Half of Northern Africa’s 6 placed countries sit at or above 127th of 178 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 18th of 21 sub-regions. Tunisia is placed highest, 107th; Libya lowest, 174th. None reaches the world’s top fifth.

Northern AfricaUN M49 015

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

127th

median position of 178 · 18th of 21 sub-regions

Africa →median 143rd

01Who is in it

The countries of Northern 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 Northern Africa

The Mediterranean and Saharan north, from Morocco to Egypt and Sudan.

Northern Africa stretches along the Mediterranean from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea, and south across the Sahara to the upper Nile. Most of its land is desert, and most of its people live close to water: along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, on the plains below the Atlas Mountains, and in the narrow valley and delta of the Nile.

The region was home to ancient Egypt, one of the earliest civilisations, and later to Carthage and Roman provinces, before it became part of the Arab world and, across most of it, the Ottoman Empire. Arabic is spoken throughout, alongside Amazigh languages in the west. Its countries became independent in the twentieth century, and they are tied as closely to Europe and the Middle East across the sea as to the rest of Africa across the Sahara.

03Where

Northern 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 Northern 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
Northern Africa’s 6 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountryIn the world1st178th
1Tunisia107 / 178between 102nd and 113th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
2Egypt110 / 178between 105th and 120th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
3Morocco127 / 178between 122nd and 132nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
4Algeria142 / 178between 133rd and 149th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
5Sudan173 / 178between 171st and 177th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
6Libya174 / 178between 170th and 177th if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics

Northern Africa among the 21 sub-regions with a median

18th 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 Northern Africa: Poverty & Inequality, 9th of 21 sub-regions. Weakest: Work & Labour, 21st of 21.

All topics
Northern Africa: each country’s position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among sub-regions.
Poverty & InequalityDigital & TechnologyEducation & KnowledgeDevelopment & Human CapitalEnvironment & SustainabilityHealth & WellbeingGovernance & InstitutionsRisk & ResilienceMobility & TradeEconomy & InnovationFood & AgricultureDemocracy & Civil LibertiesEnergyGender & EqualityPeace & SecurityWork & LabourMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
Tunisia47 of 159104 of 19862 of 17198 of 196113 of 18190 of 200104 of 194101 of 192No standing103 of 17665 of 175123 of 198141 of 193145 of 183121 of 177145 of 182No standingNo standing
Egypt25 of 15967 of 19878 of 17197 of 196102 of 181133 of 200110 of 194154 of 19241 of 147128 of 17654 of 175164 of 198134 of 193166 of 183119 of 177154 of 182No standingNo standing
Morocco103 of 15992 of 198104 of 171131 of 19690 of 181101 of 20074 of 194120 of 192No standing123 of 176124 of 175126 of 198127 of 193147 of 183139 of 177166 of 182No standingNo standing
AlgeriaNo standing96 of 19850 of 171100 of 196165 of 18197 of 200152 of 194116 of 19298 of 147137 of 176114 of 175145 of 198154 of 193159 of 183166 of 177176 of 182No standingNo standing
Sudan93 of 159193 of 198No standing176 of 19679 of 181184 of 200187 of 194189 of 192132 of 147173 of 176172 of 175193 of 19826 of 193182 of 183160 of 177No standingNo standingNo standing
LibyaNo standing160 of 198No standing101 of 196176 of 181111 of 200183 of 194174 of 192121 of 147151 of 176158 of 175175 of 198192 of 193173 of 183176 of 177158 of 182No standingNo standing
Region median47th of 15996th of 19862nd of 171100th of 196102nd of 181101st of 200110th of 194120th of 19298th of 147128th of 176114th of 175145th of 198134th of 193159th of 183139th of 177158th of 182——
Among sub-regions9th of 2111th of 2211th of 2112th of 2212th of 2113th of 2215th of 2215th of 2216th of 2118th of 2118th of 2120th of 2220th of 2220th of 2120th of 2021st of 21——

Columns run from the topic where Northern 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

Northern Africa in 6 numbers

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

    LibyaTunisiaMoroccoAlgeriaSudanEgypt496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    TunisiaMoroccoEgyptLibyaSudanAlgeria0.4world median 87,58916,376,870

  • GDP per person

    international $, PPP · log scale

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

    SudanMoroccoTunisiaLibyaAlgeriaEgypt1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

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

    SudanLibyaEgyptMoroccoAlgeriaTunisia54.46world median 74.6386.37

  • Human development

    HDI, 0–1

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

    SudanMoroccoLibyaTunisiaEgyptAlgeria0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    No reading: Sudan

    EgyptMoroccoAlgeriaTunisiaLibya0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for Northern Africa’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
Algeria46,164,219rank 332,381,740rank 1015,883rank 10176.26rank 930.763rank 9611.63rank 27
Egypt114,535,772rank 14995,450rank 2917,265rank 9371.63rank 1440.754rank 1006.781rank 60
Libya7,305,659rank 1061,759,540rank 1614,118rank 10669.34rank 1600.721rank 11518.76rank 9
Morocco37,712,505rank 41446,300rank 559,495rank 12575.31rank 1050.71rank 1209rank 41
Sudan50,042,791rank 301,868,000rank 151,873rank 17666.33rank 1860.511rank 176—
Tunisia12,200,431rank 80155,360rank 9213,018rank 11076.51rank 890.746rank 10515.11rank 15

07In records

Northern 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 Northern 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. Morocco122 → 120+2

Declined most

rank before → after
  1. Libya106 → 115−9
  2. Sudan171 → 176−5
  3. Tunisia104 → 105−1
Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

The countries outside Northern 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.

The neighbouring sub-regions

10Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The rest of Africa

11Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Northern Africa?

6 countries and territories: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification. The UN’s M49 classification also lists Western Sahara in Northern Africa. This site holds no statistics for it, so it has no page and no position.

Which country in Northern Africa is placed highest?

Tunisia, placed 107th of 178 in the Country Index 2026. Libya is placed lowest, 174th. 6 of the region’s 6 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Northern Africa compare with other regions?

Half of its 6 placed countries sit at or above 127th of 178, which places it 18th 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 Northern Africa?

267,961,377 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for its 6 countries and territories.

What is the largest country in Northern Africa?

By land area, Algeria: 2,381,740 square kilometres (2024). By population, Egypt: 114,535,772 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). Northern Africa: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/northern-africa

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