If you’re looking to move to a new country, the chances are that you’d want to move to one that guarantees you a certain quality of life. Your checklist might include features such as a developed economy, strong and stable government, reliable infrastructure, a good educational system, plenty of employment opportunities, health and social services and a high degree of personal freedom. This might sound fanciful when we’re talking about Africa, where many countries fall slightly short of this into the ‘developing’ classification.
The Human Development Index (HDI) tracks a variety of metrics, from adult literacy rate and life expectancy to income inequality and mobile phone subscriptions. The scores on these indicators are then compiled into a number between 0 and 1. This score places individual countries into one of four classifications, which are as follows: low human development (0-0.55), medium human development (0.55 – 0.70), high human development (0.70-0.80) and the coveted very high human development (0.80-1.0).
According to these HDI classifications, here are the 10 most developed countries in Africa in 2022 along with attractions to further recommend each.
Mauritius – 0.804 (Very High)
Highlights: West coast diving, Rodrigues coastal walk, Black River Gorges national park, Chamarel, Eureka Plantation Mansion, east coast beaches, Ile aux Aigrettes.
Cuisine: Mauritius is renowned for its steaks, but don’t miss the Creole sausages that are often cooked in a red Creole sauce. Seafood is the mainstay of all the different cuisines on the island, but don’t miss out on street food, especially the dhal puri and boulettes.
Read: Is Mauritius Africa?
Seychelles – 0.796 (High)
Highlights: Snorkelling, diving, Bird Island, Anse Lazio, Alphose Island, Valle de Mai, Morne Seychellois National Park, Anse Cocos.
Cuisine: Try ‘bat curry’ or civet de chauve souris is a local delicacy. You’ll be in heaven if you love fish, fruit and freshly squeezed juices.
Read: The Most Beautiful Images of Africa
Algeria – 0.748 (High)
Highlights: Timimoun, Algiers (the capital city), Ghardaia should all be on your must-visit list.
Cuisine: Try the bourek (beef-stuffed pastry rolls) and tagines. All washed down with some refreshing mint tea, of course.
Read: Sfenj (Doughnut): the Sweet Sensation of Algeria’s Cross-Cultural Cuisine
Tunisia – 0.740 (High)
Highlights: Tunis (the capital city), Carthage, Mahdia.
Cuisine: Try the tagines, brik (a thin pastry wrapped around egg filling and fried), merguez (a spicy sausage made from mutton or beef), chorba (a soup spiced with harissa and made from bulgur wheat) and, of course, Tunisian dates.
Read: 7 Must-Try Tunisian Winter Warmers for Die-Hard Foodies
Botswana – 0.735 (High)
Highlights: Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the San People.
Cuisine: Botswana isn’t known for its cuisine, but at least try seswaa (shredded goat or lamb), morogo (spinach) or leputshe (wild pumpkin). For a tasty snack, dig into a megunya; you might, however, think twice about tucking into mopane worms.
Read: Our Top 3 Eco-Holidays in Africa for the Conservation-Conscious Traveller
Libya – 0.724 (High)
Highlights: Leptis Magna, Tripoli, Ghadames are each a must.
Cuisine: Enjoy tasty algarra (lamb or seafood cooked in a high-temperature oven in a pottery amphora), bourdim (meat slow-cooked in a sand pit), shay (tea, usually served black with a tonne of sugar).
South Africa – 0 .709 (High)
Highlights: Cape Town, Kruger National Park, Drakensberg Region, the Winelands, Wild Coast Walks, Johannesburg, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Pilanesberg National Park, Cradle of Humankind, Clarens
Cuisine: Do try biltong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, malva pudding, chakalaka and pap, braai/shisa nyama, bunny chow – not necessarily all on the same day.
Read: A Stop in Cape Town – South Africa’s Rainbow City
Egypt – 0.707 (High)
Highlights: Pyramids of Giza, Luxor, cruising the Nile, Red Sea diving, Abu Simbel, Alexandria, Aswan, Siwa Oasis, Khan al-Khalili Souq, Cairo.
Cuisine: Tuck into shwarma (strips of lamb or chicken sliced from a vertical spit, sizzled on a hot plate with chopped tomatoes and garnish, and then stuffed into shammy bread), fiteer (‘Egyptian pizza’), mahshi kurumb (rice and meat-stuffed cabbage leaves cooked with dill and samna – clarified butter), molokhiyya (soup made from jute leaves, served with rabbit and garlic), hamam mahshi (roast pigeon stuffed with fireek –green wheat– and rice) and mahallabiye (a desert of milk custard with pine nuts and almonds).
Read: 5 Must-See Tourist Attractions In Egypt
So, where will you go first?
Sources
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-developed-countries-in-africa
