Mauritius
remains
Africa’s
most
“economically
free”
country,
according
to
the
“Economic
Freedom
of
the
World
2025”
report
released
on
September
25,
2025,
by
the
Fraser
Institute,
a
Canadian
think
tank.
The
report
assesses
the
state
of
economic
liberty
across
165
countries
and
territories
based
on
45
distinct
indices
grouped
into
five
broad
categories.
The
categories
measured
are:
Size
of
Government
(including
tax
rates,
public
ownership,
and
government
investment);
Legal
System
and
Property
Rights
(judicial
independence,
military
interference,
and
police
effectiveness);
Sound
Money
(money
supply
growth,
inflation,
and
foreign
currency
accounts);
Freedom
to
Trade
Internationally
(average
tariff
rates,
capital
controls,
and
trade
barriers);
and
Regulation
(bank
ownership,
interest
rate
controls,
and
labor
market
rules).
Each
index
is
scored
from
0
(least
free)
to
10
points
(most
free).
These
scores
are
then
equally
weighted
and
aggregated
to
create
a
value
for
each
of
the
five
major
categories.
A
country’s
overall
score,
which
also
ranges
from
0
to
10,
is
the
average
of
the
five
category
scores.
Mauritius
ranked
21st
globally
with
an
overall
score
of
7.76
points.
The
Indian
Ocean
island
nation
achieved
its
best
performance
in
Freedom
to
Trade
Internationally
(8.76
points)
and
Sound
Money
(8.61
points).
With
a
score
of
7.58
points,
the
Seychelles
ranked
second
in
Africa
and
31st
globally.
They
were
followed
by
Cape
Verde
(44th),
Gambia
(68th),
Botswana
(69th),
Uganda
(72nd),
Kenya
(81st),
and
South
Africa
(83rd).
Morocco
and
Namibia
tied
for
94th
place
in
the
global
ranking,
completing
the
African
Top
10.
The
continent’s
least
economically
free
countries
were
Chad
(156th
globally),
Libya
(157th),
Algeria
(162nd),
Sudan
(163rd),
and
Zimbabwe
(164th).
Globally,
Hong
Kong
maintained
its
position
as
the
freest
economy
with
a
score
of
8.85
points,
ahead
of
Singapore,
New
Zealand,
Switzerland,
and
the
United
States.
The
ranking
also
highlighted
a
strong
statistical
correlation
between
a
nation’s
level
of
economic
freedom
and
both
its
GDP
growth
rate
and
average
income
level.
This
correlation
is
attributed
to
the
fact
that
economic
agents
operate
more
efficiently
when
they
have
the
right
to
initiative
and
are
motivated
to
innovate,
work,
and
save.
Walid
Kéfi
African
Countries
Ranked
by
Economic
Freedom,
2025
|
Rank in Africa |
Country |
Global Ranking |
| 1 | Mauritius | 21 |
| 2 | Seychelles | 31 |
| 3 |
Cape Verde |
44 |
| 4 | Gambia | 68 |
| 5 | Botswana | 69 |
| 6 | Uganda | 72 |
| 7 | Kenya | 81 |
| 8 |
South Africa |
83 |
| 9 | Morocco | 94 |
| 10 | Namibia | 94 |
| 11 | Rwanda | 97 |
| 12 | Benin | 98 |
| 13 | Somalia | 101 |
| 14 |
Burkina Faso |
102 |
| 15 | Tanzania | 102 |
| 16 | Zambia | 104 |
| 17 | Mozambique | 105 |
| 18 | Senegal | 107 |
| 19 | Liberia | 109 |
| 20 | Djibouti | 110 |
| 21 | Mauritania | 111 |
| 22 |
Ivory Coast |
113 |
| 23 | Togo | 115 |
| 24 | Madagascar | 117 |
| 25 | Lesotho | 121 |
| 26 | Nigeria | 123 |
| 27 | Tunisia | 124 |
| 28 | Guinea | 125 |
| 29 | Niger | 125 |
| 30 | Ghana | 128 |
| 31 | Mali | 130 |
| 32 | Cameroon | 133 |
| 33 |
Sierra Leone |
135 |
| 34 | Comoros | 136 |
| 35 | Eswatini | 140 |
| 36 | Guinea-Bissau | 142 |
| 37 | Gabon | 143 |
| 38 | Angola | 146 |
| 39 | Malawi | 147 |
| 40 | Egypt | 149 |
| 41 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
151 |
| 42 | Burundi | 152 |
| 43 | Ethiopia | 152 |
| 44 |
Central African Republic |
154 |
| 45 |
Republic of the Congo |
155 |
| 46 | Chad | 156 |
| 47 | Libya | 157 |
| 48 | Algeria | 162 |
| 49 | Sudan | 163 |
| 50 | Zimbabwe | 164 |