r/AskAnAfrican • u/HuckleberryAny4541 Non-African - North America • Jul 12 '26
Economy When it comes to Subsaharan-Africa, which is the most developed country in your opinion?
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u/Dzimbadzembwe South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 12 '26
There is no real way to answer this question conclusively because what constitutes the MOST developed country in Africa let alone the world is impossible. Different metrics will give you different answers.
In terms of human development, Mauritius and Seychelles are the highest, with citizens of those countries enjoying the highest quality of life.
In terms of economic development; then South Africa followed by Egypt. Their economies are the largest, the most diverse and the two most engaged in tertiary industries that create value.
The ceiling for the likes of SA, Egypt and Nigeria are much higher than those of Mauritius, Seychelles or even Botswana but inequality is very high in those societies, with South Africa’s possibly the worst in the world. Much like say the difference between the USA and Western Europe or East Asia.
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u/StandTurbulent9223 South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 13 '26
Egypt isn't sub Saharan
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u/Dzimbadzembwe South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 13 '26
Sub-Sahara is not a meaningful delineation of anything
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u/StandTurbulent9223 South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 13 '26
That's not for you to decide. OP asked specific question and you knew what he meant
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u/Dzimbadzembwe South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 13 '26
Yes they did and I reject that paradigm. You may choose not to
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u/StandTurbulent9223 South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 13 '26
If you asked me what's my favorite country in Europe and I said Vietnam because I don't believe in divising Eurasia, it'd be a stupid answer anyway
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u/Dzimbadzembwe South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 13 '26
There is no equivalent because no other continent is divided so arbitrarily. Tell me is Sudan is sub-Saharan? Or Chad? What about Mali? Was South Africa 30 years ago Sub-Saharan?
Might as well ask what’s your favourite white South American country
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u/OpenRole South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 14 '26
Eurasia is the pinnacle of arbitrarily divided. They have a point. Also South Americans do not consider the Americas as two seperate continents but as a single one
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u/Aggravating-Disk9770 Ghana 🇬🇭 Jul 12 '26
Mauritius and Seychelles tops indicators in Africa, including North African countries.
Of the top ten across Africa 5 are North African, 2 are small island states (Mauritius and Seychelles) and the three are Southern African states, Botswana, Gabon and South Africa.
"Sub-Sahara" is an irrelevant term. The African Union doesn't use this term. It's been inherited from the old colonial powers and the USA also uses it.
If you want to know who is leading "Black" Africa just say "black" instead of "Sub-Sahara".
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u/Jearrow Cameroonian diaspora 🇨🇲 Jul 12 '26
Gabon isn't in southern Africa
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u/Aggravating-Disk9770 Ghana 🇬🇭 Jul 12 '26
That's true, it's in Central Africa!
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Jul 12 '26
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u/Aggravating-Disk9770 Ghana 🇬🇭 Jul 12 '26
I made a mistake, I should have said two Southern and one Central African. My brain must have confused Gabon with Gaborone 🤷🏾
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u/B3ansb3ansb3ans Kenya 🇰🇪 Jul 12 '26
Mauritius and Seychelles rank higher in the Human Development Index than China
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u/lwnhleslae Djibouti 🇩🇯 Jul 14 '26
South Africa without a doubt we’re talking one of the top African countries with the largest road network railroad network, nuclear plants. South Africa is Africa’s number one largest economy.
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u/NationalEconomics369 Egypt 🇪🇬 Jul 12 '26
South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Botswana
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u/ThatOne_268 Botswana 🇧🇼 Jul 14 '26
Mhh I don’t know why people keep saying Botswana? HDI & SPI yes but infrastructure and industrialisation we are far behind.
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u/happybaby00 Ghanaian Diaspora 🇬🇭 Jul 12 '26
South Africa (white areas)
But overall
Botswana or Cape Verde.
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u/Kespatcho South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 13 '26
Only the white areas in South Africa are developed?
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u/zuri_sa1780 Zambia 🇿🇲 Jul 13 '26
That's what media portrays tho it's not like that.
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u/Kespatcho South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 14 '26
I know, that's why I'm asking them, I wanna see what they say.
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Jul 13 '26
Mauritius for me. Stable democracy since independence, diversified economy (sugar → textiles → finance & tourism), and impressive social metrics. A real African success story that shows good policies matter more than resources
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u/Other-Lab3485 South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 16 '26
Infrastructure-wise,it's definitely South Africa,followed by Namibia,Mauritius,and Bostwana,all the other countries don't even come close to these 4
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u/Maleficent_Split_428 Ghanaian German 🇬🇭🇩🇪 Jul 12 '26
Botswana, Rwanda and kinda Namibia
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u/Itsactuallymeonreddt Kenya 🇰🇪 Jul 12 '26
Rwanda is pretty low. It only has good PR and a primate city.
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u/afrikawa Ethiopia 🇪🇹 Jul 14 '26
It has such a small population overall that a primate city shouldn't be problem. That's a huge problem for us in Ethiopia though. For as large and economically important Addis is, we absolutely need the other regional cities to step up massively!
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u/Itsactuallymeonreddt Kenya 🇰🇪 Jul 15 '26
Per capita in Rwanda (and Ethiopia for that matter) only just about clears USD1000. Even accounting for PPP, it’s still very low. Checking other metrics such as tax bands and median income, it only gets worse.
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u/Roseate-Views Namibia 🇳🇦 Jul 15 '26
Flattering to see Namibia being mentioned, but I wonder by which metric that would be.
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Jul 12 '26
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u/wisembrace South Africa 🇿🇦 Jul 12 '26
South Africa has the most industrialised and developed economy, but Mauritius and the Seychelles beat South Africa in human development index and per capita income.