4 African Countries Beat the US, UK and Canada in a New “Best Places to Live” Ranking.

A headline is going around that sounds almost too good to be true: four African countries have been ranked among the world’s best places to live in 2026, ahead of the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. For many Africans who have thought about moving abroad, that is a surprising twist.

Before you start Googling flights, though, let’s look at who made the list, what the ranking actually measures, and what it means for you.

Which Four Countries Made the List?

The ranking is the Nomad Lifestyle Index 2026, produced by Nomad Capitalist, a firm that helps entrepreneurs and investors explore living and doing business abroad. It assessed 63 destinations, and the African countries placed like this:

• Seychelles: 12th, with 64.46 points

• Mauritius: 17th, with 62.01 points

• Cape Verde: 36th, with 52.16 points

• Botswana: 44th, with 49.99 points

For comparison, the UK ranked 47th (49.20), Canada 48th (48.40) and the US 54th (46.33). So, all four African countries did finish ahead of those three. At the very top were Monaco, Andorra and the United Arab Emirates.

What the Ranking Actually Measures

Here is the part the headline leaves out. This is not a measure of wages, jobs or general living standards. It ranks relocation appeal, and economic size is not a factor.

Each destination gets a score out of 100 in five equally weighted areas:

• Nature and climate

• Taxation

• Residency and access

• Safety and freedom

• Quality of life and infrastructure

The factors include air quality, extreme weather risk, routes to legal residence and citizenship, the Global Peace Index, life expectancy, cost of living and broadband speed.

Why Tax Makes Such a Difference

Notice how much weight tax carries. The US scored 23 out of 100 on taxes, Canada 24 and the UK 35. In contrast, Seychelles scored 88 and Botswana 77, while Mauritius scored 76.

That is a big reason the African countries climbed so high. Moreover, each pillar counts for the same share of the total, so a low-tax country can jump ahead even if its job market or public services are weaker. In other words, the ranking suits people who can work from anywhere or who have savings to relocate, more than someone looking for a local job.

What Each Country Does Well

Seychelles

Seychelles scored 70.9 for safety and freedom and 68.3 for nature and climate, but only 44.2 for residence and access. The residency opportunities “may be a consideration” for anyone hoping to relocate. That score suggests settling there is harder than the overall rank implies.

Mauritius

Mauritius did well on safety and freedom (72) and on residence and access (69.1), which is the strongest residency score of the four. It also has a visa on arrival for Nigerians.

Cape Verde

Cape Verde’s best scores were for quality of life and infrastructure (60.9) and safety and freedom (57.9).

Botswana

Botswana scored 77 for taxation and 65.1 for nature and climate.

Should You Treat This as Moving Advice?

Not on its own. Rankings depend heavily on what they count, and a different index tells a different story. The Rumavi Global Relocation Index 2026, which covers 192 countries, ranks Mauritius 38th, Seychelles 62nd, Botswana 71st and Cape Verde 95th. Its top spot goes to Estonia, not Monaco.

Also, remember that Nomad Capitalist’s business is about helping people live and invest abroad, so its index is built around that audience. That does not make it wrong, but it does mean you should read it as one view, not the final word. 

What You Should Do Next

• Check entry rules first. Our visa guide lists Mauritius as visa on arrival, but it does not cover Seychelles, Cape Verde or Botswana, so check each embassy.

• Look at residency, not only the headline rank. Seychelles ranks high overall but scored lowest on residence and access.

• Compare costs and income. Low tax helps only if you have income that travels with you.

• Consider other routes. If you are weighing Canada, our guide on finding jobs in Canada from Africa is a good place to start.

For more travel ideas, visit our adventure desk.

Quick FAQs

1. Which African countries ranked among the best places to live in 2026?

Seychelles, Mauritius, Cape Verde and Botswana, in the Nomad Lifestyle Index 2026.

2. Who publishes the Nomad Lifestyle Index?

Nomad Capitalist, according to Euronews and Gulf News.

3. Does the ranking measure salaries or jobs?

No. It measures relocation appeal across five equal categories, and economic size is not a factor.

4. Is the index the only “best places to live” ranking?

No. Other indexes, such as Rumavi’s, use different criteria and rank these countries differently.