• Seychelles, Mauritius lead Africa in 2025 UNDP HDI rankings
• North, Southern African states show “high” human development progress
• Report warns AI could widen global inequalities without careful governance

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has released its 2025 Human Development Report, which incorporates 2023 data, showing a slowing global average for the Human Development Index (HDI) while highlighting sharp disparities across African countries.

With a score of 0.848, the Seychelles has secured the top position in Africa for human development, entering the "very high human development" category. It surpasses Mauritius, with a score of 0.806, the only other African nation in this group. The two Indian Ocean islands are outperforming the rest of the continent, driven by better performance in life expectancy, per capita income, and education.

Several North African nations maintain their standing in the "high" category, including Algeria (0.763), Egypt (0.754), Tunisia (0.746), Libya (0.741), and Morocco (0.710). South Africa, Gabon (0.733), and Botswana (0.731) are the only sub-Saharan African countries in this category.

Nineteen African countries are in the "medium human development" category, with scores ranging from 0.500 to 0.590. This group includes Senegal (0.530), Gambia (0.524), the Democratic Republic of Congo (0.522), and Malawi (0.517). These nations have shown modest progress but continue to face persistent challenges related to poverty, the quality of their education systems, and access to healthcare.

At the bottom of the ranking, 23 countries fall into the "low human development" category. South Sudan (0.388) holds the last position on the continent, preceded by Somalia (0.404), the Central African Republic (0.414), Chad (0.416), and Niger (0.419). These states, grappling with conflict, stability, and poverty challenges, are struggling to make lasting improvements to their social indicators.

AI's Impact on Development

Beyond the rankings, the 2025 report places a particular emphasis on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on development trajectories. According to UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, "We are at a crossroads: while AI promises to redefine our future, it also risks deepening the divides of a world already off balance.”

Africa is not exempt from these challenges. Several countries are already piloting AI in education through personalized online learning programs, in healthcare with automated diagnostics in remote areas, and in agriculture, where AI is used to improve climate forecasts and advise small-scale producers. However, the report reminds us that “AI does not act independently of us; it evolves through our decisions and our priorities. [...] s it acts like a mirror—reflecting and amplifying the values, structures and inequalities of the societies that shape it.”

The UNDP advocates for an approach where AI complements, rather than replaces, human capabilities to build a “complementary economy.” The organization calls on states to "invest in the skills that matter" and to “steer innovation with intention,” to prevent this technological revolution from becoming another source of inequality.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou

African Ranking of the Human Development Index (HDI)