Top 20 Most Developed Countries in Africa (2022)
If you are searching for the most developed countries in Africa, you have come to the right place.
A developed country is one that boasts features such as a developed economy, a stable and functional government, a robust infrastructure, a strong educational system, ample job opportunities, comprehensive health and social services, and a high degree of personal freedom. Countries that fall slightly short of these goals are classified as developing countries. Those that fall far short are designated the least developed countries and become eligible for specific United Nations assistance programs.
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The most widely used and respected measure of a country’s development status is the United Nations’ annual Human Development Index (HDI). This advanced metric tracks a wide range of indicators, from Adult Literacy Rate and Life Expectancy to Income Inequality and Mobile Phone Subscriptions, and then compiles them all into a number between 0.00 and 1.00. This score slots each country into one of four different classifications: low human development (0-.55), medium human development (.55-.70), high human development (.70-80), and very high human development (.80-1.0). Most developed countries have a score of at least .80 and are considered “very high human development”. That said, here are the top 20 most developed countries in Africa based on HDI.
Top 20 Most Developed Countries in Africa
| Country | Human Development Index | 2022 Population |
|---|---|---|
| Mauritius | 0.804 | 1,274,727 |
| Seychelles | 0.796 | 99,426 |
| Algeria | 0.748 | 45,350,148 |
| Tunisia | 0.74 | 12,046,656 |
| Botswana | 0.735 | 2,441,162 |
| Libya | 0.724 | 7,040,745 |
| South Africa | 0.709 | 60,756,135 |
| Egypt | 0.707 | 106,156,692 |
| Gabon | 0.703 | 2,331,533 |
| Morocco | 0.686 | 37,772,756 |
| Namibia | 0.646 | 2,633,874 |
| Sao Tome And Principe | 0.625 | 227,679 |
| Eswatini | 0.611 | 1,184,817 |
| Ghana | 0.611 | 32,395,450 |
| Kenya | 0.601 | 56,215,221 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 0.592 | 1,496,662 |
| Zambia | 0.584 | 19,470,234 |
| Angola | 0.581 | 35,027,343 |
| Republic of the Congo | 0.574 | 5,797,805 |
| Zimbabwe | 0.571 | 15,331,428 |
The island country of Mauritius is Africa’s most developed country with an HDI of .804, which just clears the “very high human development” threshold. Mauritius boasts a life expectancy of 75 years and a literacy rate of 91.3%, and is known for its advanced economy and free heath care and schooling. Globally, Mauritius still ranks 66th out of 189 countries examined, which illustrates the gap between Africa and the other continents, but other African countries can draw inspiration from the country’s success. Seychelles (7.96) lands right behind Mauritius in 67th place. The country’s economic growth is mainly driven by tourism, and the GDP has increased nearly sevenfold since 1976. Algeria has an HDI score of .748 and is the third most developed country in Africa. Algeria currently has the highest life expectancy of all African countries of 76.3 years.