- Only six African countries are included in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking.
- South Africa reclaimed the top spot in Africa, rising 10 places to 54th globally, ahead of Kenya and others.
- Kenya dropped to second in Africa (55th globally), followed by Ghana, Botswana, Nigeria, and Namibia.
- African countries perform relatively better in business efficiency but struggle in infrastructure and government efficiency.
The ranking by Switzerland-based IMD Business School evaluates how effectively economies create conditions for businesses to compete, using four broad areas: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure
IMD said its 2026 edition covers 70 economies, with Vietnam joining the ranking this year
South Africa led the African group, rising 10 places to 54th globally with an overall score of 50.16 points. Its improvement pushed it ahead of Kenya, which had been Africa’s top-ranked economy in 2025
Kenya placed second in Africa and 55th globally, followed by Ghana in 64th, Botswana in 66th, Nigeria in 68th and Namibia in 69th
South Africa’s 10-place improvement was one of the biggest movements among the African economies. Its overall score reached 50.16 points, with business efficiency emerging as one of its stronger areas
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Kenya, meanwhile, slipped to second place in Africa after making its debut in the 2025 ranking. The country nevertheless remained just one position behind South Africa globally
Ghana and Botswana occupied the next two positions, while Nigeria ranked 68th globally, one place above Namibia. Nigeria’s overall score was 38.8, with infrastructure remaining its weakest area at 70th globally
The African results highlight a broader competitiveness gap. The six countries perform relatively better in business efficiency but face greater difficulties in areas such as infrastructure and government efficiency
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The limited African representation is also significant. IMD says its flagship World Competitiveness Rankingcurrently includes only six African economies because it requires partner institutes across countries to collect some of the qualitative data used in the assessment, including business-executive perceptions
That means the ranking should not be interpreted as a ranking of all 54 African economies. Rather, it compares the six African economies that currently meet IMD’s data and survey coverage requirements against 64 economies from other regions
Globally, Singapore returned to the top of the competitiveness ranking, followed by Hong Kong SAR and Switzerland