What are the 10 richest countries in Africa?

Seychelles, Mauritius, Algeria, Egypt, Gabon, Tunisia, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Morocco and Cape Verde. Five of them are in North Africa and three are island states.

Where does Nigeria rank?

Nigeria ranks 19th in Africa with 38.4 out of 100, and 139th in the world index. Its income equality (70.6) is above the African average, but its national income (16.9) and human development (24.9) are low.

Is this a ranking by GDP?

No. GDP per capita in purchasing power parity counts for 30 % of the score. The other 70 % comes from national income, the Human Development Index, income equality and poverty. That is why Algeria and Egypt rank above Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, whose GDP per head is similar or higher.

How does Africa compare with other continents?

On the same world scale, Africa's 52 scored countries average 34.9 out of 100, against 54.0 for Oceania, 61.5 for the Americas, 63.9 for Asia and 84.5 for Europe. Africa's strongest indicator is income equality (50.8 on average), its weakest national income (24.2).

HelloSafe Prosperity Index2026 edition · 52 African countries · 5 indicators

The richest countries in Africa in 2026

African countries scored out of 100 on the world Prosperity Index scale, from public data: GDP, national income, human development, income equality and poverty. Seychelles ranks first.

Africa top 3 · 2026score /100

50–10040–5030–40under 30

Last updated: October 12, 2026100 % public, traceable data

Key facts to remember

The index in 30 seconds

52African countries scored, on the world index scale

75.8Seychelles, the richest country in Africa

5of the top 10 in North Africa

5indicators, 100 % public data sources

Key takeaways · 20-second read

Seychelles (75.8), Mauritius (70.5) and Algeria (65.9) are the three richest countries in Africa once income, human development and the sharing of wealth are counted together.
North Africa leads: Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco all rank in Africa's top 10, and the region has the highest average (54.6).
Region leaders: Gabon (60.9) in Central Africa, Cape Verde (48.0) in West Africa; Seychelles and Mauritius lead East Africa.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, ranks 19th (38.4): a mid-table GDP per head, held back by national income and human development.
Same scores as the world ranking: Seychelles is 52nd of the 178 countries of the world index.

How is the index built? See the methodology ↓

01 · Africa ranking

2026 Africa ranking

African countries ranked on the same 0–100 score as the world ranking of the richest countries, with their place among the 178 countries of the world index. Click a country for its five indicator scores.

Search a country…

#1 in Africa · #1 in East Africa · #52 worldwide

Seychelles

75.8/10050–100

Seychelles scores 75.8/100, #1 in Africa, #1 in East Africa and #52 worldwide. Its strongest pillar is Low poverty (85.2), its weakest National income per capita (69.6).

Pillar breakdown

GDP per capita (PPP) 30 %72.6

National income per capita 20 %69.6

Human development 20 %79.1

Income equality 15 %76.9

Low poverty 15 %85.2

Pillar scores on 100, weighted into the overall 75.8.

Insurance for Seychelles →

02 · Where the wealth is

The geography of prosperity in Africa

Every country shown in its tier colour. Click a tier to show or hide it, click a country for its rank and score.

Showing 37 of 37 published countries · click a country for its info

Why are some countries grey? 52 African countries are scored and 37 are shown on this page; the other scores stay in our dataset and are available on request. Eritrea and South Sudan are not scored (no recent GDP or HDI data). What this study does not show ↓

03 · Regional rankings

Richest countries by region of Africa

Africa's five regions, as defined by the UN, each ranked on its own: every country with its rank in its region, in Africa and worldwide. North Africa has the highest average (54.6).

North Africa · average 54.6 · 6 countries scored, 6 published

Richest countries in North Africa

1Algeria65.9#3
2Egypt64.3#4
3Tunisia59.1#6
4Libya58.5#7
5Morocco51.7#9
6Sudan27.9#34

Reader service: hospital standards vary widely across Africa, and a medical evacuation to a regional hub or back home can cost tens of thousands of euros. Medical expenses and repatriation are the cover to check before a trip. Compare policies by medical limit with our travel insurance comparison.

Reading the results

What separates Africa's richest countries

Island states lead: Seychelles and Mauritius have the highest GDP per head in Africa (about $35,800 in purchasing power parity) and its highest human development. Cape Verde (11th), Comoros (15th) and São Tomé and Príncipe (16th) also rank above much larger economies.

Even incomes lift North Africa: Algeria (92.6) and Egypt (89.5) have the highest income equality scores on the continent. That is why they rank 3rd and 4th, ahead of Gabon (5th), whose GDP per head is higher.

Oil wealth does not reach everyone: Equatorial Guinea has a GDP per head close to Algeria's but ranks 8th, held back by human development (46.4) and poverty. Angola ranks 25th although its GDP per head (about $10,400) is above Nigeria's, held back by one of the widest income gaps on the continent (9.6 on income equality).

Africa's largest economies sit mid-table: Egypt is 4th, Morocco 9th, Nigeria 19th, Kenya 22nd. Nigeria's GDP per head is about $10,000, but national income (16.9) and human development (24.9) pull its score down.

04 · How we score

Methodology

Built by HelloSafe's travel insurance team, independently of our comparison. The scores are those of the world Prosperity Index: a country carries the same score, on the same scale, on both pages. Every figure comes from a public international dataset, so the ranking can be reproduced from the sources.

Score /100= weighted sum30 %GDP per capita (PPP)20 %National income per capita20 %Human development15 %Income equality15 %Low poverty

SourcesIMF World Economic Outlook (GDP per capita in PPP, 2026 estimates), World Bank WDI (GNI per capita, Atlas method), UNDP Human Development Report 2025 (HDI), World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (Gini index, share below the societal poverty line). Regions: UN geoscheme (M49).

ProcessingIncomes on a log scale, as the UNDP does for the HDI. Min-max 0–100 over the 178 countries of the world index, Gini and poverty inverted, outliers winsorised, a missing inequality or poverty figure filled with the median of the country's World Bank income group.

RobustnessRank correlation of 0.98 with equal weights across the 52 African countries; the top 10 shown is the same.

Formula Prosperity Index = 0.30 × GDP + 0.20 × National income + 0.20 × Human development + 0.15 × Income equality + 0.15 × Low poverty

What this study does not show

37 of the 52 scored African countries are shown; the other scores stay in the dataset.
Colour bands are this page's own (50–100, 40–50, 30–40, under 30): on the world page's bands (90, 80, 70), 35 of the 37 countries shown would share the lowest one.
Eritrea and South Sudan are not scored (no recent GDP or HDI data).
Inequality surveys are rare: the latest Gini and poverty figures date from different years depending on the country. Libya has none, so the median of its income group is used.
Many African countries measure inequality on consumption rather than income, which reads lower: their equality score is flattered.
Relative, not absolute: a score compares countries with each other. Prices, cost of living and wealth within a country are not measured.
Data window: latest release of each source at publication (October 2026).

New in 2026First Africa edition52 countries scored, 5 regionsSame scale as the world indexSeychelles #1

Questions on the method? Contact us →

05 · For journalists

Visuals you can publish

This is exactly what your readers will see: the live block, with its credit link. Free to reproduce; a PNG version is included for CMSs that strip iframes.

HelloSafe Prosperity Index 2026

The richest countries in Africa50–10040–5030–40under 30Source: HelloSafe, The richest countries in Africa in 2026

Map of Africa · live embed, PNG version includedDownload PNG

“Seychelles is the richest country in Africa with 75.8 out of 100 on the HelloSafe Prosperity Index, ahead of Mauritius (70.5) and Algeria (65.9).”

“North Africa is the continent's richest region: Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco all rank in Africa's top 10 of the HelloSafe Prosperity Index.”

“Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, ranks only 19th in Africa in the HelloSafe Prosperity Index, held back by national income and human development.”

Quotes by Antoine Fruchard, travel insurance expert and author of the index · Contact us

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Seychelles tops the Africa ranking of the 2026 HelloSafe Prosperity Index with 75.8 out of 100, ahead of Mauritius (70.5) and Algeria (65.9). It is 52nd of the 178 countries of the world index, with the continent’s highest GDP per head, national income and human development.

Index updatesThe 2027 ranking is on its way. Be the first to see it.New scores, new countries, the dataset and the press kit, in your inbox on publication day.

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GDP per capita by country in 2026

GDP per capita of 178 countries in 2026, in purchasing power parity (IMF). Find where your country ranks: Singapore first, the United States 9th, Germany 20th.