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Africa data wall

Compare African countries

All 54 countries on 49 measures in one table. Pick what to compare, sort, filter by region, or put countries side by side.

Tick up to 4 countries to compare them side by side. Darker green means better for people; grey shows size where higher is neither better nor worse.

African countries compared on 19 measures
million · ranking% · rankingmillion · rankingsq km · rankingper sq km · rankingUS$ billion · rankingUS$ · ranking% · ranking% of GDP · ranking% of GDP · rankingUS$ million · rankingmonths · rankingyears · rankingper 1,000 births · rankingUS$ · ranking% a year · ranking% of labour force · ranking% aged 15 to 24 · ranking% of labour force · ranking
AlgeriaNorth Africa47.418.750.22,381,74020284.55,9973.80.60.520211.676.5222331.411.629.411.7
AngolaCentral Africa39.239.346.61,246,70031140.73,5883.101.81475.364.8497620.214.127.210.4
BeninWest Africa14.830.417.1114,76013124.61,6618.11.721,035–6175471.11.62.91.7
BotswanaSouthern Africa2.515.72.7581,730419.97,802-0.70.8-3.32854.769.3334902.724.54624.4
Burkina FasoWest Africa24.128.227274,2008827.71,1505.32.61.11,436–61.37572-0.63.56.47.1
BurundiEast Africa14.53116.827,8345636.84694.28.116220.763.8472834.10.91.71
Cabo VerdeWest Africa0.54.70.54,0301283.15,9616.311.751028.776.2112902.311.928.411.3
CameroonCentral Africa29.931.333.8475,4426359.21,9803.21.319405.36465793.43.66.63.3
Central African RepublicCentral Africa5.520.16.5622,98094.68414.5–1.4738–57.7905416.310.1–
ChadCentral Africa1934.421.71,284,00015221,1585.6–01,138–55.29747-3.91.11.53.1
ComorosEast Africa0.924.711,8704871.61,7683.820.80.51667.667391023.33.88.84.4
CongoCentral Africa6.528.17.4342,0001915.42,3783.10.33.73781.66639762.419.940.510
Côte d'IvoireWest Africa32.932.637.9322,46010399.93,0376.5222,376–62.165880.12.342.3
Democratic Republic of the CongoCentral Africa106.637.9125.12,345,4104792.98725.83.62.14,3471.762.190232.94.47.91.5
DjiboutiEast Africa1.115.51.123,200464.54,2516.51.33.22220.966.24978-0.32676.838.8
EgyptNorth Africa107.921.2120.31,001,450108364.63,3794.411.44.24804.471.82214114.16.818.35.9
Equatorial GuineaCentral Africa1.639.31.928,0525812.97,850-5.8–2.312–63.9682342.98.315.76.5
EritreaEast Africa–––121,630––––––129–68.93428–610.2–
EswatiniSouthern Africa1.39.81.317,364735.24,1484.20.711101.964.3452962.634.254.328.7
EthiopiaEast Africa110.624.1119.71,129,81999126.41,1429.84.835,4021.867.6453513.23.35.43.9
GabonCentral Africa2.319.52.6267,670921.99,4912.50.11.8534.268.5332531.820.236.317.4
GambiaWest Africa2.928.43.211,2952822.89745.923.810.63444.866.1422611.66.510.97.1
GhanaWest Africa35.122.238.2238,539154114.73,27162.11.71,5723.865.7367014.235.83.2
GuineaWest Africa15.82817.9245,8576442.32,6757.42.527.45321.360.992593.65.275
Guinea-BissauWest Africa2242.236,125722.71,3155.89.91.3189–64.367820.92.72.82.7
KenyaEast Africa53.423.258591,97092135.92,5484.63.80.82,5964.663.839854.15.515.35.6
LesothoSouthern Africa2.412.32.530,360782.81,170220.81.31725.557.8601234.316.324.718.7
LiberiaWest Africa5.728.26.4111,370595.2910521.39.5563262.3861048.32.92.35.9
LibyaNorth Africa7.514.27.91,759,540444.75,99813.4–1.736031.671.1104701.818.850.119
MadagascarEast Africa31.433.836.1591,8965419.561933.14.51,2545.563.862178.135.33.2
MalawiEast Africa24.132.827.7118,48425515.16271.923.61,7311.967.6494128.45.1715.4
MaliWest Africa25.235.729.31,241,2382131.21,2385.642.81,292–60.773343.32.83.94.5
MauritaniaWest Africa4.624.95.21,030,700412.62,72340.95.44195.468.737921.610.322.910.4
MauritiusEast Africa1.2-11.22,01062216.112,9353.21.95955.273.8156163.75.617.45.8
MoroccoNorth Africa37.710.539.3446,550841844,8784.67.51.87725.975.5162320.7921.911.8
MozambiqueEast Africa35.832.540.9799,3804623.6659-0.51.225.82,9273.463.859534.46.611.66.8
NamibiaSouthern Africa3.130.73.4824,292415.14,9241.70.79.6272467.5403973.519.338.135.2
NigerWest Africa29.145.634.81,267,0002321.373073.31.21,283–61.411126-4.40.40.50.4
NigeriaWest Africa237.624.6263.7923,768261290.51,22347.81.43,5967.154.611667233.15.33.9
RwandaEast Africa14.225.715.626,34059616.41,1569.43.45.91,3874.26838535.911.416.45.4
São Tomé and PríncipeCentral Africa0.2200.396025014,08413.710.5872.769.91417111.19.18.88
SenegalWest Africa19.231.5–196,71010037.11,9346.710.60.11,860–68.937731.52.73.64.6
SeychellesEast Africa0.1–0.14572672.319,0075.80.510163.776.3147660.3––2.6
Sierra LeoneWest Africa8.825.39.872,3001227.78744.64.62.44981.86291367.53.23.71.6
SomaliaEast Africa1731.819.5637,6572713.27803–6.42,281–5910122–1934.211.1
South AfricaSouthern Africa63.113.3671,219,60252427.16,7691.10.2-0.51,5076.266.3355373.232.459.929.6
South SudanEast Africa12.29.713.5646,883195.5454-10.89.501,7920.257.7977391.412.418.512.3
SudanNorth Africa50.431.257.31,878,0002736.57243.1001,3900.266.56221138.87.5127.5
TanzaniaEast Africa70.535.680.9945,5008089.61,2705.91.41.93,0575.467.237363.31.62.42.8
TogoWest Africa8.722.89.756,78516011.91,3716.38.71.9616–62.956600.423.42
TunisiaNorth Africa12.38.312.6163,6107957.34,6372.56.721,2264.576.7123185.215.138.115.1
UgandaEast Africa4835.357.3241,55123966.51,3846.34.55.42,2572.368.549453.62.84.27.5
ZambiaEast Africa21.933.625752,6122928.71,3103.81.44.51,4223.366.5488013.95.910.55.7
ZimbabweEast Africa17.423.319.3390,7604558.33,3588.18.51.97920.563.16563104.79.315.69.2

54 of 54 countries shown. A dash means the source publishes no figure. Every number links to the page with its detail and source.

Download every figure as CSV (free to reuse with credit, CC BY 4.0).

What each measure means, and who leads

People

Population million
People living in the country, IMF estimate. Largest: Nigeria (237.6); smallest: Seychelles (0.1). 53 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook database, October 2026 (DataMapper indicators NGDPDPC, NGDPD and LP), October 2026. More: African countries by population.
Area sq km
Total area including lakes and rivers. Largest: Algeria (2,381,740); smallest: Seychelles (457). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Largest countries in Africa.
People per sq km per sq km
Population divided by land area. Largest: Mauritius (622); smallest: Namibia (4). 53 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Largest countries in Africa.

Economy

GDP US$ billion
Size of the economy in current US dollars. Largest: South Africa (427.1); smallest: São Tomé and Príncipe (1). 53 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook database, October 2026 (DataMapper indicators NGDPDPC, NGDPD and LP), October 2026. More: Largest economies in Africa.
GDP per person US$
GDP divided by population, current US dollars. Best: Seychelles (19,007); worst: South Sudan (454). 53 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook database, October 2026 (DataMapper indicators NGDPDPC, NGDPD and LP), October 2026. More: Richest countries in Africa.
GDP growth %
Real annual growth of GDP, latest year. Best: Libya (13.4); worst: South Sudan (-10.8). 53 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: African economies compared.
Remittances, % of GDP % of GDP
Money sent home by citizens abroad, as a share of GDP. Largest: Gambia (23.8); smallest: Sudan (0). 48 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: African economies compared.
Foreign investment, % of GDP % of GDP
Net inflows of foreign direct investment, as a share of GDP. Best: Guinea (27.4); worst: Botswana (-3.3). 53 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Who invests in Africa.
Aid received US$ million
Net official development assistance received. Largest: Ethiopia (5,402); smallest: Equatorial Guinea (12). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: African economies compared.
Reserves, months of imports months
Foreign reserves including gold, in months of imports they would pay for. Best: Libya (31.6); worst: Sudan (0.2). 41 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: African economies compared.
Inflation % a year
Annual rise in consumer prices, latest full year. Best: Niger (-4.4); worst: Sudan (138.8). 52 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Inflation rate in Africa.
Unemployment % of labour force
Share of the labour force without work and looking for it. ILO modelled estimate, so countries compare on one method. Best: Niger (0.4); worst: Eswatini (34.2). 53 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Unemployment rate in Africa.
Youth unemployment % aged 15 to 24
Unemployment among people aged 15 to 24. ILO modelled estimate. Best: Niger (0.5); worst: Djibouti (76.8). 53 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Unemployment rate in Africa.
Unemployment, national survey % of labour force
Unemployment as measured by the country's own labour force or household survey, reported to the ILO. Methods differ by country. Best: Niger (0.4); worst: Djibouti (38.8). 52 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT, unemployment rate by sex and age (UNE_DEAP_SEX_AGE_RT_A). More: Unemployment rate in Africa.

Debt

External debt US$ billion
Total external debt stocks, public and private. Largest: South Africa (175.9); smallest: São Tomé and Príncipe (0.3). 49 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, International Debt Statistics. More: Debt in Africa.
External debt, % of GDP % of GDP
External debt stocks divided by GDP in the same year. Best: Algeria (2.6); worst: Mozambique (306.6). 48 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, International Debt Statistics. More: Debt in Africa.
Owed to China, % of public external debt %
Public and publicly guaranteed external debt owed to Chinese lenders, as a share of all such debt. Largest: Equatorial Guinea (92.6); smallest: São Tomé and Príncipe (0). 48 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, International Debt Statistics. More: Debt in Africa.
Government debt, % of GDP % of GDP
General government gross debt, domestic and foreign, as a share of GDP. Best: Democratic Republic of the Congo (20.4); worst: Eritrea (260.4). 53 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook. More: Debt in Africa.
Largest creditor's share of foreign public debt %
How much of the government's foreign debt is owed to its single largest lender. Largest: Equatorial Guinea (92.6); smallest: Sudan (16.7). 50 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, International Debt Statistics. More: Debt in Africa.

Health

Life expectancy years
Years a newborn is expected to live at current death rates. Best: Tunisia (76.7); worst: Nigeria (54.6). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (UN Population Division, World Population Prospects). More: Life expectancy in Africa.
Child deaths under five per 1,000 births
Children who die before their fifth birthday, per 1,000 live births. Best: Libya (10); worst: Nigeria (116). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation). More: Life expectancy in Africa.
Health spending per person US$
Current health spending per person, all sources. Best: Seychelles (766); worst: Madagascar (17). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (WHO Global Health Expenditure Database). More: Life expectancy in Africa.

Education and development

Human Development Index 0 to 1
UNDP's summary of health, schooling and income; 1 is the highest. Best: Seychelles (0.85); worst: South Sudan (0.39). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: UNDP, Human Development Report, composite indices time series. More: Human Development Index in Africa.
Adult literacy % aged 15+
Share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short simple statement. Best: Mauritius (94.3); worst: South Sudan (26.8). 52 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Literacy rate in Africa.
Youth literacy % aged 15 to 24
Share of people aged 15 to 24 who can read and write. Best: Mauritius (99.8); worst: South Sudan (36.7). 53 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Literacy rate in Africa.
Education spending, % of GDP % of GDP
Government spending on education. Some countries report central government only. Best: Namibia (9.1); worst: Somalia (0). 52 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Literacy rate in Africa.
Internet users % of people
Share of people who used the internet in the last three months, from any device. Best: Morocco (91.2); worst: South Sudan (6.7). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Tech in Africa.
Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people; above 100 means many people hold more than one SIM. Best: Libya (193); worst: Liberia (32). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Tech in Africa.
Access to electricity % of people
Share of people with an electricity connection. Best: Algeria (100); worst: South Sudan (5.4). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Tech in Africa.

Safety

Homicide rate per 100,000
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people, UN Office on Drugs and Crime via the World Bank. Best: Senegal (0.3); worst: South Africa (43.7). 37 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Safest countries in Africa.
Conflict deaths deaths
Battle-related deaths in the latest year, Uppsala Conflict Data Program via the World Bank. Best: Rwanda (1); worst: Sudan (4,680). 30 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Safest countries in Africa.
US travel advisory level level 1 to 4
US State Department travel advisory: 1 is exercise normal precautions, 4 is do not travel. Best: Zambia (1); worst: Burkina Faso (4). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: US Department of State. More: Safest countries in Africa.

Politics and stability

Voice and accountability score 0 to 100
How freely citizens choose their government and speak, associate and report. World Bank governance score, the closest open measure of democracy. Best: Cabo Verde (74); worst: Eritrea (15). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, Worldwide Governance Indicators. More: Coups and stability in Africa.
Political stability score 0 to 100
Likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence; higher is more stable. Best: Seychelles (86); worst: Mali (22). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, Worldwide Governance Indicators. More: Coups and stability in Africa.
Control of corruption score 0 to 100
How far public power is kept from private gain; higher means less corruption. Best: Seychelles (73); worst: South Sudan (6). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, Worldwide Governance Indicators. More: Coups and stability in Africa.
Successful coups on record coups
Coups that removed the government, counted from 1945, when the dataset starts, or from independence. Best: Zambia (0); worst: Burkina Faso (11). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: Cline Center for Advanced Social Research, University of Illinois, Coup d'État Project Dataset. More: Coups in Africa.
Coups and failed attempts events
Successful coups plus failed attempts; plots that never reached an attempt are left out. Best: South Africa (0); worst: Sudan (21). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: Cline Center for Advanced Social Research, University of Illinois, Coup d'État Project Dataset. More: Coups in Africa.
Year of the last successful coup year
Blank where the dataset records no successful coup. Largest: Guinea-Bissau (2,025); smallest: Benin (1,972). 38 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: Cline Center for Advanced Social Research, University of Illinois, Coup d'État Project Dataset. More: Coups in Africa.

Natural resources

Natural resource rents, % of GDP % of GDP
Value of oil, gas, coal, minerals and timber extracted minus the cost of extracting them. Largest: Libya (61); smallest: Mauritius (0). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Natural resources in Africa.
Oil production thousand barrels a day
Crude oil including lease condensate, US Energy Information Administration. Largest: Nigeria (1,605); smallest: Zimbabwe (0). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration. More: Natural resources in Africa.
Gas production billion m³
Dry natural gas, US Energy Information Administration. Largest: Algeria (98.8); smallest: Zimbabwe (0). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration. More: Natural resources in Africa.
Forest, % of land % of land
Land under trees of at least five metres. Largest: Gabon (91.4); smallest: Egypt (0). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Natural resources in Africa.
Arable land, % of land % of land
Land under temporary crops, meadows and fallow. Largest: Gambia (58.1); smallest: Djibouti (0.2). 54 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. More: Natural resources in Africa.

Wages and prices

Minimum wage, US$ a month US$ a month
National monthly minimum wage converted at the published exchange rate. Countries that set daily or hourly rates, or none, are left blank. Best: Côte d'Ivoire (128); worst: Côte d'Ivoire (128). 1 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: National labour ministries and gazettes. More: Minimum wage in Africa.
Petrol price, US$ a litre US$ a litre
Pump price of petrol at the official or reference rate, converted to US dollars. Best: Cameroon (1.44); worst: South Africa (1.84). 3 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: National energy regulators. More: Fuel prices in Africa.

Leaders

President's age years
Age of the sitting president today. Monarchs are not included. Largest: Cameroon (93); smallest: Burkina Faso (38). 51 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: PollsAfrica government directory and Wikidata. More: Oldest presidents in Africa.
President's years in office years
Time since the sitting president took office, without a break. Largest: Equatorial Guinea (47.2); smallest: Benin (0.4). 51 of 54 countries have a figure. Source: PollsAfrica government directory and Wikidata. More: Longest serving presidents.

Every country, by region

Each country page has its government, elections, economy and where it ranks in Africa. Follow the region to compare it with its neighbours.

Regions of Africa compared · All Africa rankings · Natural resources in Africa

Method

Each figure is the latest year its source publishes, so years differ between measures and sometimes between countries; hover over a figure to see its year. Shading compares a country with the other 54 on that measure. Money is in current US dollars; minimum wages and fuel prices are converted at the published exchange rate on our fuel and wage pages. We do not estimate missing figures.

Frequently asked questions

How can I compare two African countries?

Tick both countries in the table on this page, up to four at once, and they appear side by side on all 49 measures, with the better figure marked on each row. You can also link straight to a comparison, for example https://pollsafrica.com/compare-african-countries?c=nigeria,ghana.

Where does the data come from?

The IMF World Economic Outlook for population and GDP, the World Bank for health, debt, investment and land, the US Energy Information Administration for oil and gas, the US State Department for travel advisories, national gazettes and regulators for minimum wages and fuel prices, and our own government directory for leaders. Each measure below names its source and links to it.

Why are some cells empty?

A dash means the source publishes no figure for that country. We never estimate or fill gaps.

Which African country has the highest gdp per person?

Seychelles, at 19,007 US$ (2025). South Sudan is at the other end, at 454. Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook database, October 2026 (DataMapper indicators NGDPDPC, NGDPD and LP), October 2026.

Which African country has the highest life expectancy?

Tunisia, at 76.7 years (2024). Nigeria is at the other end, at 54.6. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (UN Population Division, World Population Prospects).

Which African country has the lowest external debt, % of gdp?

Algeria, at 2.6 % of GDP (2024). Mozambique is at the other end, at 306.6. Source: World Bank, International Debt Statistics.

Which African country has the lowest homicide rate?

Senegal, at 0.3 per 100,000 (2015). South Africa is at the other end, at 43.7. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators.