Sub-Saharan Africa continues to rank last in most measures of economic freedom

Mauritius earned the top rating for the region, ranking 12th in the world. It was the only sub-Saharan nation to break into the Top 20. One category in which the region fell short was freedom from corruption. The region continues to lag far behind in most measures. Political instability and poor management of macroeconomic policies severely impede overall economic development in much of the region. Sub-Saharan Africa ranks last among the six regions of the world in seven of the 10 measures. It lags behind in business freedom and property rights and freedom from corruption. Labor freedom scores also are low, reflecting in part the region’s lack of progress in developing modern and efficient labor regulation. This region is the world’s poorest.