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 |
The Bank expects a 41% rise in 2025 and a further 6% increase in 2026. Gold topped $4,00...
Social media users accuse the UAE of backing Sudan’s RSF militia. Activists and celebrities c...
Africa is projected to supply up to 9% of the global rare earths market thanks to announced mines, p...
Ghana holds talks to address energy debt and tighten sector oversight New inspector, stricter...
COBAC raises bank capital requirement to 25 billion CFA francs from 10 billion Compliance dea...
Barrick Mining’s Lumwana mine in Zambia produced 109,000 tonnes of copper by September 2025, up 41% year-on-year. The company targets between...
The program targets 22 million people across eight major cities. It aims to improve accountability and strengthen essential services. The World...
Mozambique’s northern development agency ADIN launched a digital platform to centralize and monitor reconstruction and employment projects. The tool...
Egypt’s IT Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) signed MoUs with 55 firms to create 70,000 new ICT jobs. The plan supports the government’s Digital...
Timkat, celebrated each year in Ethiopia, marks the feast of Epiphany in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It commemorates the baptism of Christ in the River...
The Namib Erg, also known as the Namib Sand Sea, is one of the most ancient and spectacular desert landscapes on Earth. Stretching along Namibia’s...