Mercer cabinet recently unveiled its 2019 ranking of cities with the highest quality of living. As was the case in the past three years, Port Louis, Mauritius’ capital, is the 83rd globally and the best in Africa.
This capital is directly followed by Durban, South Africa, which is the 88th globally. Next comes Cape Town and Johannesburg both in South Africa) that are respectively the 95th and 96th globally.
The index indicates that there are many cities with average quality of living. They are namely Bangui, Central Africa, Khartoum in Sudan and N’Djaména, Chad.
There are 39 ranking criteria like the sociocultural, political and social environment, health, education, utilities, transports, urban infrastructures and housing.
Let’s note that European cities have the highest quality of living globally. For instance, cities like Vienna, Zurich and Munich are respectively 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in Europe and globally.
Zeinab Dosso (intern)
2019 ranking of African towns with the highest quality of living
| African rank | City | Country | Global rank |
| 01 | Port Louis | Mauritius | 83 |
| 02 | Durban | South Africa | 88 |
| 03 | Cape Town | South Africa | 95 |
| 04 | Johannesburg | South Africa | 96 |
| 05 | Victoria | Seychelles | 98 |
| 06 | Tunis | Tunisia | 114 |
| 07 | Rabat | Morocco | 117 |
| 08 | Casablanca | Morocco | 124 |
| 09 | Windhoek | Namibia | 131 |
| 10 | Gaborone | Botswana | 141 |
| 11 | Lusaka | Zambia | 150 |
| 12 | Dakar | Senegal | 163 |
| 13 | Accra | Ghana | 165 |
| 14 | Libreville | Gabon | 166 |
| 15 | Kampala | Uganda | 172 |
| 16 | Cairo | Egypt | 177 |
| 17 | Banjul | Gambia | 179 |
| 18 | Blantyre | Malawi | 181 |
| 19 | Cotonou | Benin | 182 |
| 20 | Maputo | Mozambique | 183 |
| 21 | Algiers | Algeria | 185 |
| 22 | Nairobi | Kenya | 186 |
| 23 | Djibouti | Djibouti | 189 |
| 24 | Kigali | Rwanda | 191 |
| 25 | Yaoundé | Cameroon | 193 |
| 26 | Douala | Cameroon | 197 |
| 27 | Dar es Salam | Tanzania | 198 |
| 28 | Luanda | Angola | 199 |
| 29 | Lomé | Togo | 203 |
| 30 | Abidjan | Cote d’Ivoire | 208 |
| 31 | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | 209 |
| 32 | Harare | Zimbabwe | 210 |
| 33 | Lagos | Nigeria | 212 |
| 34 | Abuja | Nigeria | 213 |
| 35 | Antananarivo | Madagascar | 214 |
| 36 | Ouagadougou | Burkina Faso | 216 |
| 37 | Tripoli | Libya | 218 |
| 38 | Niamey | Niger | 218 |
| 39 | Bamako | Mali | 220 |
| 40 | Nouakchott | Mauritania | 221 |
| 41 | Conakry | Guinea | 222 |
| 42 | Kinshasa | DRC | 223 |
| 43 | Brazzaville | Congo | 224 |
| 44 | N’Djamena | Chad | 226 |
| 45 | Khartoum | Sudan | 227 |
| 46 | Bangui | Central Africa | 230 |
Senegal launches 200 billion CFA bond in UEMOA Proceeds to fund 2026 budget, transformation agend...
Military escalation between Iran, Israel, and the United States has raised the risk of disruptions...
Algeria’s NESDA and the Algerian‑Saudi Investment Company sign cooperation deal focused on researc...
DRC seeks ITC support for local battery value chains Musompo SEZ targets $2 billion private ...
Central Bank of Nigeria said 20 commercial banks have met new minimum capital requirements, with...
Nigeria is considering creating a Grid Asset Management Company (GAMCO) to manage transmission infrastructure. The move targets a key bottleneck...
The European Union has approved €6 million to support the next phase of Senegal’s regional express train expansion. The funding will help...
The Ethiopian Securities Exchange has launched “Neway,” a web and mobile trading platform for investors. The tool allows users to open accounts,...
Nigeria will launch its National Single Window platform on March 27 to centralize trade procedures. The system will allow online processing of...
African-born artists generated $77.2 million in auction sales in 2024, down 31.9% year-on-year. Women artists accounted for about $22...
In April 2026, the Amani Festival will change venues. Forced to leave Goma for Lubumbashi due to growing insecurity, the event turns displacement into an...