Mauritius, Seychelles and Botswana have emerged as Africa’s highest-ranked countries in a new global index measuring the strength of capitalist economic systems.
The Global Capitalism Index, developed by researchers at the University of Virginia in the United States, assesses the economic and institutional conditions of 161 countries, according to a report by Agence Ecofin.
The ranking draws on data covering the period from 2009 to 2025 to evaluate the quality of national market systems and the extent to which they support the deployment of capital.
The researchers examined several indicators, including the strength of banking sectors, market competition and the freedom of capital and goods to move across borders.
They define capitalism as “a system that privileges the ability to deploy capital in open markets as freely as possible, while minimizing constraints from both public and private sources.”
Switzerland ranked first globally, ahead of the United States and Hong Kong.
Mauritius emerged as Africa’s leading country, ranking 48th worldwide. Seychelles followed in 50th position, while Botswana placed 52nd.
Other African countries featured among the continent’s 10 highest-ranked nations include Namibia, which placed 59th globally; Cape Verde, 66th; Rwanda, 74th; and Morocco, 85th.
The index provides a comparative assessment of how economic institutions and market conditions support capitalist activity across countries.
The strong positions of Mauritius, Seychelles and Botswana place them at the forefront of Africa’s performance in the latest ranking.
