Mauritius ranks 15th globally, securing the number-one spot in Africa on the economic freedom index

Key Takeaways

  • Mauritius is the continent’s strongest performer by a wide margin, leading with a score of 75, and ranking 15th globally.
  • Botswana and Cape Verde are the only other African countries with a score close to 70, placing them within the global top 40.
  • Most of Africa’s top 15 countries score between 56 and 60, indicating moderate levels of economic freedom.
  • Even Africa’s highest performers trail global leaders, showing persistent gaps in rule of law, regulatory efficiency, and open-market conditions.

Mauritius has the most economic freedom in Africa, and, thus, offers its people and businesses the greatest ability to make their economic choices with minimal government interference.

Among 51 African countries assessed by the Heritage Foundation’s Economic Freedom Index, Mauritius ranks 15th globally with a score of 75, reflecting strong property rights, effective courts, low corruption, sound fiscal management, efficient regulation, and open markets.

Only Botswana, Cape Verde, and Seychelles come close, while most of the top 15 cluster in the high-50s to low-60s, showing that economic freedom remains concentrated in a small group of African economies.

Source:

heritage.org

Period:

2024
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