Top 20 Most Developed Countries in Africa (2025)

Some of the most developed countries in African include South Africa, Mauritius, and Seychelles. These countries have relatively strong economies, high living standards, and developed infrastructure compared to other African nations. They have also made significant progress in areas such as education, health care, and technology.

According to the Human Development Index; Seychelles, Mauritius, Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia are the top five most developed countries in Africa.

The Human Development Index was developed by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq in 1990 as a standard means of measuring a country’s development. It is used to distinguish whether a country is a developed, developing, or underdeveloped country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life.

Countries fall into four broad categories based on their HDI: very high, high, medium, and low human development. Currently, Mauritius is the only African country which falls into the very high human development category.

The HDI combines life-expectancy, education levels and GDP per capita. Countries with scores over 0.800 are considered to have very high levels of development, compared with countries that score lower.

Here are the Top 20 most developed countries in Africa according to the latest HDI report.

1. Seychelles

Global Ranking: 54
Life Expectancy: 73.4
GDP: $2 Billion

Seychelles is the most developed country in Africa, with the highest Human Development Index (HDI) on the continent at 0.848. This reflects strong achievements in health, education, and standard of living. The country’s small population, stable governance, and thriving tourism and service sectors contribute to high income levels and excellent social services. Seychelles is also one of the richest country in Africa.

2. Mauritius

Global Ranking: 73
Life Expectancy: 75.0
GDP: $14 billion

Mauritius is the second most developed country in Africa. The country has benefited immensely from sound macroeconomic policies and wide-ranging structural reforms since 2006. The nation is also one of Africa’s richest countries despite its small size and has been ranked among the top 10 countries in Africa with the most Millionaires.

3. Algeria

Global Ranking: 96
Life Expectancy: 76.9
GDP: $269 billion

Algeria is the largest country in Africa. The country has the highest Human Development Index of all non-island African countries. Algeria is the most developed country In North Africa and ranks third on the list of most developed countries In Africa.

4. Egypt

Global Ranking: 100
Life Expectancy: 72.0
GDP: $389 billion

Egypt is a transcontinental country that’s considered to be a regional power in North Africa, the Middle East and the Muslim world, and a middle power worldwide. It is a developing country, ranking 100th on the Human Development Index and the 4th most developed country in Africa.

5. Tunisia

Global Ranking: 105
Life Expectancy: 76.7
GDP: $51 billion

With a Human Development Index (HDI) estimated at 0.746, Tunisia is classified by the UN agency as a “high” human development country. The country ranks fourth on the list of most developed countries In Africa and the second most developed country in North Africa.

6. South Africa

Global Ranking: 106
Life Expectancy: 64.1
GDP: $401 billion

South Africa is an upper-middle power in international affairs; it maintains significant regional influence and is a member of both the Commonwealth of Nations and G20. It is a developing country, ranking 106th on the Human Development Index. South Africa ranks sixth on the list of most developed countries in Africa.

7. Gabon

Global Ranking: 108
Life Expectancy: 66.5
GDP: $20 billion

Abundant petroleum and foreign private investment have helped make Gabon one of the most Prosperous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the 7th highest HDI in the region and the fifth highest GDP per capita (PPP) in all of Africa. However, because of inequality in income distribution, a significant proportion of the population remains poor.

8. Botswana

Global Ranking: 111
Life Expectancy: 69.6
GDP: $19 billion

Although Botswana is resource-abundant, a good institutional framework has allowed the country to reinvest resource-income in order to generate stable future income.

Formerly one of the world’s poorest countries – with a GDP per capita of about US$70 per year in the late 1960s – Botswana has since transformed itself into an upper-middle-income country, with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. The nation is the second most developed country in Southern Africa and eighth most developed country in Africa.

9. Libya

Global Ranking: 115
Life Expectancy: 72.9
GDP: $48 billion

When Gaddafi was alive’ Libya had the highest Human Development Index of any country on the continent, but everything changed when the USNATO and “rebels” began their murderous and destructive attacks on the Libyans and their government. Today they are the ninth most developed country in Africa.

10. Morocco

Global Ranking: 120
Life Expectancy: 76.7
GDP: $160 billion

Morocco is the 10th most developed country In Africa. Since independence, Morocco has remained relatively stable and prosperous. It has the fifth-largest economy in Africa and wields significant influence in both Africa and the Arab world; it is considered a middle power in global affairs and holds membership in the Arab League, the Union for the Mediterranean, and the African Union.

11. Eswatini

Global Ranking: 126
Life Expectancy: 60.2
GDP: $4.8 billion

Eswatini is the 11th most developed country in Africa, reflecting significant progress in areas like education, health, and overall human development. Despite being one of the smallest countries in Africa, Eswatini has managed to achieve a relatively high Human Development Index, showing that size does not limit a nation’s potential for growth.

12. Equatorial Guinea

Global Ranking: 133
Life Expectancy: 58.7
GDP: $12 billion

Equatorial Guinea, also referred to as EQG, is the only former Spanish colony in Sub-Saharan Africa and the 12th most developed country in Africa.

Equatorial Guinea graduated from “Least Developed Country” status in 2017, the only Sub-Saharan African nation that managed to do so besides Botswana, and has since then maintained that status.

13. Cabo Verde

Global Ranking: 135
Life Expectancy: 73.0
GDP: $2.7 billion

Cape Verde is often praised as an example among African nations for its stability and developmental growth despite its lack of natural resources. The country’s Human Development Index (HDI) is estimated at 0.668, making it the thirteenth most developed country In Africa.

14. Namibia

Global Ranking: 136
Life Expectancy: 63.7
GDP: $13.3 billion

Namibia is a small country of about 2.5 million people, with a long coastline on the South Atlantic, bordering South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Angola. It is the driest country in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is rich in mineral resources, including diamonds and uranium.

Political stability and sound economic management have helped anchor poverty reduction and allowed Namibia to become an upper-middle income country.

With a Human Development Index (HDI) estimated at 0.665, Namibia is classified by the UN agency as a “medium” human development country. The country is the 14th most developed country In Africa.

15. Congo

Global Ranking: 138
Life Expectancy: 64.6
GDP: $71 billion

With a surface area equivalent to that of Western Europe, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa. DRC is endowed with exceptional natural resources, including minerals such as cobalt and copper, hydropower potential, significant arable land, immense biodiversity, and the world’s second-largest rainforest.

Congo’s HDI value for is 0.649, which put the country in the low human development category, positioning it at 149 out of 189 countries and territories.

Top 20 Most Developed African Countries (2025)

Note:

The Human Development Index (HDI) is used to rank countries according to their development levels from “very high” to “low”. Countries are ranked based on life expectancy, education, standard of living, child welfare, health care, economic welfare, and population happiness. Formulas are used to factor all the variables and determine the scores of countries.

Revised in December 2025