Published: October 30, 2026
How long people live is the simplest summary of how healthy a country is. Life expectancy at birth captures every part of a health system at once: child survival, disease control, hospitals, nutrition, and safety. A country where a newborn can expect 76 years is doing something very different from one where the figure is 55.
Tunisia leads Africa in 2026. A newborn in Tunisia can expect to live 76.7 years, according to the latest World Bank figures, which use United Nations data for 2024. Algeria is second at 76.5 years, and Seychelles third at 76.3. North Africa takes five of the ten places, and island states take four. The ten countries average 73.7 years, close to the world average of 73.9.
The gap between first and tenth is 7.4 years. That is smaller than the gap between Africa's leaders and the rest of the continent, and it shows how far the top group has pulled away. The ranking below uses one measure, applied the same way to every country, so the order is a fair comparison.
5 Key Facts
- Tunisia is Africa's healthiest country in 2026. Life expectancy at birth is 76.7 years, the highest on the continent among sovereign states.
- Algeria is second at 76.5 years, and Seychelles third at 76.3. The top three are separated by just 0.4 years.
- North Africa takes five of the ten places. Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, and Libya all make the top 10.
- Four island states make the top 10. Seychelles, Cabo Verde, Mauritius, and Sao Tome and Principe all rank in the top 10.
- The top 10 average 73.7 years. That is close to the world average of 73.9 years.
Top 10 Healthiest Countries in Africa in 2026
| Africa rank | Country | Life expectancy at birth (years, 2024) | Change vs 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tunisia | 76.7 | +0.2 |
| 2 | Algeria | 76.5 | +0.2 |
| 3 | Seychelles | 76.3 | +0.9 |
| 4 | Cabo Verde | 76.2 | +0.2 |
| 5 | Morocco | 75.5 | +0.2 |
| 6 | Mauritius | 73.8 | +0.4 |
| 7 | Egypt | 71.8 | +0.2 |
| 8 | Libya | 71.1 | +1.8 |
| 9 | Sao Tome and Principe | 69.9 | +0.2 |
| 10 | Botswana | 69.3 | +0.1 |
The ten countries average 73.7 years. The top three average 76.5 years, while the other seven average 72.5 years. Tunisia leads tenth placed Botswana by 7.4 years. The largest gap between neighbours is 2.0 years, between Mauritius (73.8) and Egypt (71.8). Botswana takes tenth place by less than five months of life expectancy over Senegal, which just misses the cut at 68.9 years, followed by Eritrea at 68.9. Five of the ten are in North Africa, four are island states, and one, Botswana, is in southern Africa. See also: Top 10 Happiest Countries in Africa in 2026 and Top 10 Safest Countries in Africa in 2026.
1. Tunisia: 76.7 years
Tunisia has the longest life expectancy in Africa, at 76.7 years for a newborn. That is 0.2 years up on 2023, and 0.2 years ahead of second placed Algeria. Tunisia has run a public health system since independence, with care free or heavily subsidised in public facilities, and it has one of the continent's lowest child mortality rates. Its Mediterranean diet and high vaccination coverage help too. Tunisia is also one of Africa's happiest countries in our own 2026 ranking, a reminder that health and wellbeing move together.
2. Algeria: 76.5 years
Algeria is second at 76.5 years, up 0.2 years on 2023. Health care in public facilities is free for Algerian citizens, and the state has invested heavily in hospitals and clinics across a very large country. Algeria trails Tunisia by just 0.2 years. Its challenge now is the rising burden of diabetes and heart disease, the same shift facing every country at the top of this table.
3. Seychelles: 76.3 years
Seychelles is third at 76.3 years, up 0.9 years on 2023, the second biggest rise in the top 10. The island state provides free public health care to its citizens, and its small population makes it easier to reach everyone with primary care. Seychelles also tops our rankings of Africa's most literate and most educated countries, and it leads the least corrupt list too. Health, schooling, and clean government tend to arrive together, and Seychelles is the proof. See also: Top 10 Most Educated Countries in Africa in 2026.
4. Cabo Verde: 76.2 years
Cabo Verde is fourth at 76.2 years, up 0.2 years on 2023. The Atlantic island nation has built its health gains on strong primary care: local health centres on every inhabited island, so that most people can see a nurse or doctor without travelling far. Cabo Verde sits just 0.1 years behind Seychelles, and it is the highest ranked West African country in this table by a wide margin.
5. Morocco: 75.5 years
Morocco is fifth at 75.5 years, up 0.2 years on 2023. Morocco has spent the last few years extending compulsory health insurance to workers and the self employed, one of the biggest coverage expansions on the continent. It is the third North African country in the top five, and it trails Cabo Verde by 0.7 years. Morocco also ranks among Africa's safest countries in our 2026 ranking.
6. Mauritius: 73.8 years
Mauritius is sixth at 73.8 years, up 0.4 years on 2023. The island provides free public health care, and it pairs that with the continent's strongest record on schooling and governance. Mauritius tops our 2026 rankings of Africa's happiest and safest countries, and it is sixth here, which shows how closely health tracks overall development. Its gap to Morocco above it is 1.7 years.
7. Egypt: 71.8 years
Egypt is seventh at 71.8 years, up 0.2 years on 2023. Egypt is rolling out a universal health insurance system, province by province, to replace a patchwork of older schemes. It is the most populous country in the top 10 by far, with more than 100 million people, so holding seventh place at that scale is a major achievement. Egypt also leads our 2026 soft power ranking, published yesterday.
8. Libya: 71.1 years
Libya is eighth at 71.1 years. Its figure rose 1.8 years from 2023, the biggest one year rise in the top 10, but readers should treat that jump with care: Libya's health data has been revised sharply in recent editions after years of disrupted collection during the conflict. Even allowing for that, Libya's place in the top 10 reflects the strong health system it built before 2011, when it had some of the best health indicators in Africa. Its hospitals have suffered badly since, and rebuilding them is one of the country's biggest tasks.
9. Sao Tome and Principe: 69.9 years
Sao Tome and Principe is ninth at 69.9 years, up 0.2 years on 2023. The two-island nation has made steady progress against malaria, once its biggest killer, through bed nets and indoor spraying campaigns. It is the fourth island state in the top 10, and the only Central African country in the table. Its figure is 1.2 years behind Libya and 0.6 years ahead of tenth place.
10. Botswana: 69.3 years
Botswana is tenth at 69.3 years, up 0.1 years on 2023. Botswana's health story is dominated by HIV: the country once had the world's highest infection rate, and its life expectancy collapsed in the early 2000s. A national treatment programme, free to citizens, has brought it back. Botswana's tenth place is therefore a recovery story as much as a health ranking. It is also one of Africa's safest and least corrupt countries in our 2026 rankings.
What the ranking tells us
Two patterns stand out. First, North Africa dominates: five of the ten places, including the top two. Second, small island states punch far above their weight: four of the ten, despite holding a tiny share of Africa's population. What the leaders share is not wealth alone. It is public health care that reaches everyone, strong primary care close to home, and steady investment over decades. Countries that fund clinics and nurses, not just big hospitals, live longer. The lesson for the rest of Africa is plain, and it is a hopeful one: the gap to the top is measured in years, not generations, and it closes fastest where basic care reaches everyone. See also: Population of Every African Country in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which African country is the healthiest in 2026?
Tunisia. A newborn in Tunisia can expect to live 76.7 years, according to the World Bank's 2024 figures, which use United Nations data. Algeria is second at 76.5 years, and Seychelles third at 76.3.
How is "healthiest" measured in this ranking?
By life expectancy at birth: the average number of years a newborn would live if current death rates stayed the same throughout their life. It is the standard summary measure of population health, because it captures child survival, disease control, hospitals, nutrition, and safety in a single number.
Why do North African countries lead the ranking?
North African countries built public health systems early, with free or heavily subsidised care in public facilities, and they have lower child mortality than most of the continent. Five of the top 10 are in North Africa: Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, and Libya.
Which country improved the most in a year?
Libya, up 1.8 years from 2023 to 2024. Treat that jump with care, because Libya's health data has been revised sharply in recent editions after years of disrupted collection. The next biggest rise is Seychelles, up 0.9 years.
How many African countries are above the world average?
Five of the top 10 sit above the world average life expectancy of 73.9 years: Tunisia, Algeria, Seychelles, Cabo Verde, and Morocco. Mauritius, at 73.8 years, sits just 0.1 years below it.
Data Sources
- World Bank, Life expectancy at birth, total (years), indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN (United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects): World Bank life expectancy data
- World Bank API, 2023 and 2024 values for the top 10 countries: World Bank API query
- World Population Review, Life Expectancy in Africa 2026 (United Nations based table, cross-check): Life Expectancy in Africa 2026
- TheGlobalEconomy, Seychelles life expectancy (United Nations Population Division source, cross-check): Seychelles life expectancy
Methodology
This ranking uses life expectancy at birth for 2024, the latest year published by the World Bank (indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN, sourced from the United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects; series last updated October 8, 2026, accessed October 30, 2026). Every row uses the same definition: life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined, 2024. No figures have been mixed across years or definitions. Figures are rounded to one decimal place in the table; year-on-year changes compare the 2024 value with the 2023 value in the same series. Reunion and Mayotte are French overseas departments, not sovereign states, and Western Sahara is a disputed territory, not a United Nations member state, so all three are excluded; the ranking covers Africa's 54 sovereign states. One conflict between sources is disclosed here: World Population Review's "Life Expectancy in Africa 2026" table gives different figures for Seychelles (73.3), Libya (75.2), and Mauritius (75.4). That table's own note says its United Nations data are 2023 projections, so it mixes vintages. This article follows the World Bank's 2024 actuals, which TheGlobalEconomy's United Nations sourced series corroborates for Seychelles (76.30 in 2024, up from 75.42 in 2023). Feature image: surgeons in an operating room (Unsplash, rodrigo porto).
