Nigeria ranked as the strongest-performing African economy in the economic performance category of the 2026 International Institute for Management Development World Competitiveness Ranking, outperforming the five other African countries included in the assessment.

The IMD report, which evaluated 70 economies across four pillars—economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure—placed Nigeria 55th globally in economic performance, with a score of 45.2.

Despite topping Africa in economic performance, Nigeria dropped one place in the overall IMD World Competitiveness Ranking, placing 68th out of 70 economies as persistent infrastructure gaps, macroeconomic instability and institutional weaknesses continued to undermine its broader competitiveness.

According to the IMD, Nigeria recorded the highest economic performance score among the six African economies assessed, maintaining a clear lead over its continental peers in the category.

Nigeria scored 45.2 points on the economic performance pillar, making it the highest-performing African economy in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking 2026.

South Africa ranked second in Africa with 36.27 points (64th globally), followed by Ghana with 34.6 points (65th), Kenya with 33.19 points (66th), Namibia with 22.3 points (68th) and Botswana with 18.25 points (69th).

The report highlighted the wide performance gap among African economies, with Nigeria outperforming Botswana, the lowest-ranked African country in the assessment, by 26.95 points on the economic performance pillar.

The economic performance pillar assesses key indicators including domestic economic activity, international trade and investment, employment, and price stability.

The rankings indicate that Nigeria outperformed its African peers on these economic metrics, despite continuing to face structural challenges that weighed on its overall global competitiveness.

Despite leading Africa in economic performance, Nigeria’s overall competitiveness deteriorated in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking as weaknesses across several key pillars continued to weigh on its performance.

Nigeria slipped to 68th out of 70 economies in the overall rankings, scoring 38.8 points in 2026, down from 67th place in 2025.