Top 10 African Countries by GDP per Capita in 2026

Published: September 30, 2026 | Last updated: September 30, 2026

Key Facts

• Seychelles leads Africa at $17,675 and is the only African economy above the world average (IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026, via StatisticsTimes)
• Seychelles and Mauritius are the only two African economies above $10,000 (StatisticsTimes, September 2026)
• Seychelles is the only African economy projected to see its GDP per capita fall in 2026 (down $805, or 4.4%), while Libya posts the largest rise (up $963) (StatisticsTimes, September 2026)
• Africa's average GDP per capita is $2,348 in 2026, up from $2,111 in 2025 (StatisticsTimes, September 2026)
• Morocco narrowly misses the top 10 at 11th ($5,107), while Nigeria ($1,556), Kenya ($2,714) and Egypt ($3,904) rank 30th, 22nd and 16th in Africa (StatisticsTimes, September 2026)

Selected Details About Each Country on the List

1. Seychelles

$17,675 per person. The IMF projects Seychelles' figure to fall by $805 in 2026, the only decline in Africa. The IMF's 2026 Article IV report expects real growth of about 1.5%, after 5.1% in 2025, when tourism income rose 29%. Public debt is 53.6% of GDP, with a target of 50% by 2029. The IMF projects the per-capita figure to recover to about $18,945 in 2027.

2. Mauritius

$13,812 per person. Real GDP grew 3.2% in 2025, supported by tourism and financial services, and IMF staff project growth to slow to 2.8% in 2026 because of the war in the Middle East, mainly through tourism. Financial services contribute about 14% of GDP, and Mauritius briefly reached high-income status in 2020. Its population is only about 1.27 million, which helps keep the per-capita figure high.

3. Gabon

$9,918 per person. Oil, manganese and timber account for 97% of exports, which leaves the economy exposed to commodity prices. Growth slowed to 2.7% in 2025, debt reached 78.9% of GDP, and the sovereign rating was downgraded again in December 2025. Gabon formally asked the IMF for a financing programme on March 11, 2026.

4. Botswana

$8,490 per person. Diamonds account for about 70% of exports, a third of government revenue and roughly a quarter of GDP, and Debswana's output is expected to fall from about 25 million carats in 2023 to roughly 15 million in 2026. The finance minister forecasts 3.1% growth in 2026 after contractions of 0.4% in 2025 and 2.8% in 2024. The 2026/27 budget deficit is expected to reach 8.9% of GDP. The rising dollar figure therefore says little about the health of the economy beneath it.

5. Equatorial Guinea

$8,152 per person. The economy contracted 6.0% in 2025 as oil production fell 16.8% from shutdowns and ageing fields. The IMF projects a further 2.7% contraction in 2026 for a population of about 1.68 million. The dollar figure still rises because nominal GDP per capita reflects prices and exchange rates as well as output.

6. South Africa

$7,503 per person. South Africa is Africa's largest economy, with nominal GDP of about $480 billion. The Treasury expects growth of 1.6% in 2026, up from 1.4% in 2025. Output fell 0.2% in the second quarter of 2026, ending six consecutive quarters of growth, driven by mining, trade and manufacturing. A firmer rand has helped lift the dollar figure.

7. Libya

$6,962 per person, the largest dollar gain in Africa. Oil makes up 97% of exports, 90% of fiscal revenue and about 60% of economic activity. The African Development Bank estimates growth of 12.4% in 2025 after a 0.4% contraction in 2024, and says per-capita income stays volatile because of that oil dependence. The IMF projects 6.7% growth in 2026 and the dollar figure easing to about $6,580 in 2027.

8. Cabo Verde

$6,670 per person. Real GDP grew 6.3% in 2025, driven largely by tourism, and the World Bank projects growth to ease to 4.8% in 2026. Tourism is concentrated on the islands of Sal and Boa Vista, service exports reach 30.5% of GDP and remittances add 10.3%.

9. Algeria

$6,628 per person. Oil and gas account for 92% to 93% of exports and roughly 40% of GDP. The IMF projects growth of 3.8% in 2026. The per-capita figure is projected to ease slightly to $6,591 in 2027.

10. Namibia

$5,573 per person. The Bank of Namibia expects growth of 2.1% in 2026 after 1.7% in 2025, with strong uranium mining offsetting a deep contraction in diamond mining. Offshore oil was discovered in 2022, but no field has reached a final investment decision, and uranium output of 7,333 tonnes in 2024 was about a tenth of world mine production.

Quick Answers to Commonly Asked Questions About this Topic

Which African country has the highest GDP per capita?

Seychelles, at $17,675 in 2026, which ranks 69th in the world. Mauritius is second at $13,812 and Gabon third at $9,918.

Why do small countries dominate the list?

GDP per capita divides total output by population. Seychelles has well under 150,000 people and Mauritius about 1.27 million, so tourism and financial services spread across few residents produce high per-person figures. The continent's biggest economies by total output rank lower per head.

Why aren't Nigeria, Egypt and Ethiopia in the top 10?

Their large populations dilute output per person. In Africa, Egypt ranks 16th at $3,904, Nigeria 30th at $1,556 and Ethiopia 41st at $1,081. Nigeria rises three places in the 2026 projections.

Does GDP per capita show what people actually earn?

No. It is an average, so it says nothing about how income is distributed. It also differs from gross national income per capita, and agencies publish different numbers: other sources quote about $19,400 for Seychelles, using World Bank or 2025 figures.

How does the ranking change on a purchasing-power basis?

Adjusted for local prices, the top five are Seychelles ($35,855), Mauritius ($35,713), Gabon ($25,847), Egypt ($23,321) and Botswana ($22,039). Egypt jumps from 16th to 4th because prices there are low relative to the dollar.

Data Sources

• IMF World Economic Outlook (April 2026), as compiled by StatisticsTimes.com, "List of African countries by GDP per capita" (data dated September 1, 2026). Pulled September 30, 2026. https://statisticstimes.com/economy/african-countries-by-gdp-per-capita.php
• Worldometer, "GDP per Capita in Africa (2026)," IMF data. https://www.worldometers.info/gdp/gdp-per-capita/?region=africa&year=2026&metric=nominal
• IMF, "Staff Completes 2026 Article IV Mission to Mauritius," May 4, 2026. https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2026/05/04/pr26136-mauritius-imf-staff-completes-2026-article-iv-mission
• African Development Bank, economic outlooks for Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, and Country Focus Report 2026 for Libya. https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/central-africa/equatorial-guinea/equatorial-guinea-economic-outlook

Methodology

This ranking orders African economies by nominal GDP per capita in current US dollars for 2026, from the IMF's April 2026 World Economic Outlook, as compiled by StatisticsTimes.com and cross-checked against Worldometer's IMF-based table. The IMF dataset covers 53 African economies. Eritrea is not covered because of a lack of recent data. The 2026 figures are IMF estimates and projections, not final statistics, and the IMF may revise them. Nominal figures are sensitive to exchange rates, price changes and population estimates. They can rise even when real output is shrinking, as in Equatorial Guinea, and can differ from World Bank or national figures. GDP per capita is an average and does not measure income distribution or living standards. Economic context in each entry comes from separate sources and is not part of the ranking.