10 Most powerful countries in Africa (2024)

Africa is a powerful continent. It has some countries which are more powerful than others. However, most of these powerful countries have more international relations, resources, and other outstanding features than other countries.

Care to know these top 10 most powerful African countries? Then continue reading. This is ranked based on economic stability, military personnel, defence budget, foreign alliances, and so on.

10 Most powerful countries in Africa

Below is a list of the 10 most powerful countries in the African continent.

• Egypt
• South Africa
• Algeria
• Nigeria
• Morocco
• Ethiopia
• Angola
• Libya
• Sudan
• Tunisia

1. Egypt

Egypt tops the list of the 10 most powerful countries in Africa, having a population of about 102 million persons. The Republic of Egypt is located in the northeast of Africa. It has military personnel of about 920,000, including 440, 000 active military members. They have around 480,000 reserve soldiers in the country.

It is the most powerful African country, with a power index of 0.1869 and a nominal GDP of $4,028.42 per Capita. It has over a thousand fighters planned and several other fighting weapons like specialized attack jets, armoured vehicles, training jets, transport jets, special purpose jets, self-propelled artillery, rocket launchers, and so on.

Egypt has a budget of $11,200,000,000 for defence purposes. This is also why it is the most powerful country in Africa.

2. South Africa

This is Africa’s second most powerful country, with a population of 60.14 million, a power index of 0.4676, and a nominal GDP of $5,121.04 per Capita.  The country has military personnel of about 81,000 and active military members of 66,300, and reserve personnel of about 15,000.

They have various fighter planes, training jets, aircraft carriers, special-purpose jets, armoured vehicles, etc. South Africa has a power index of 0.4276, a defence budget of $4,278, and a small natural resource with estimated oil reserves of 15 million barrels.

3. Algeria

Algeria is the third in this list of the most powerful countries in Africa, having a population of about 41 million citizens. The country has about 280,000 military troops, over 130,000 active duty soldiers, and 150,000 reserve personnel. Algeria has a power index of 0.4724 and a GDP of $3,815.25. Per Capita. 

The country has several aircraft in its air force, training jets, fighter planes, mission jets, self-propelled artillery, armoured vehicles, rocket projectors in its ground force, and more equipment. Algeria is rich in oil and has a defence budget of $9,700 million.

4. Nigeria

Nigeria, one of the most powerful nations in Africa, is renowned for its vibrant and amiable spirit exhibited via various artistic forms. Nigeria has a population of around 216 million citizens, a power index of 0.5745, and a nominal GDP of $2,396.04 per Capita. It has about 120,000 active military members.

They have numerous aircraft carriers, dedicated attack jets, training jets, armoured vehicles, rockets launchers, self-propelled artillery, patrol boats, and special-purpose jets. Nigeria is rich in oil, with a defence budget of $2,155 million.

5. Morocco

Another powerful African country is Morocco, with an estimated population of 37 million people, a power index of 0.8573, and a nominal GDP of $3,368.473. Per Capita. Morocco has an estimated 510,000 military personnel, 310,000 active military members, and the remaining 200,000 serving as reserves.

It has various aircraft carriers, transport jets, armoured vehicles, and other self-defence equipment. The country has a confirmed oil reserve of about 684,000 barrels and a defence budget of $5,439 million.

6. Ethiopia

The Federal Republic of Ethiopia has an estimated population of 120 million people, a nominal GDP of $826.95 per Capita, and a power index of 1.0798. The country has an estimated total active military personnel of 162,000, which are all active.

Ethiopia has aircraft carriers, armoured vehicles, tower artillery, rocket projectors, training jets, fighter planes, and other defence equipment. A defence budget of $538 million. They have a few natural resources, with 428,000 confirmed oil reserves. Ethiopia has a defence budget of $ 358 million.

7. Angola

Angola is Africa’s seventh-largest country, with a population of 33 million and a nominal GDP of $3,213.78. Per Capita and a power index of 1.0931. The country has 110,000 military members who are all active. It has a defence budget estimate of $1,059.

It has a powerful air force, multiple aircraft carriers, transport jets, special mission jets, training jets, attack jets, armoured vehicles, and other defence equipment—the defence budget of $1,059 million. Angola has roughly 8,273 million barrels of oil reserves and other natural resources.

8. Libya

Libya is Africa’s fourth largest country and the sixteenth largest country in the world, with an estimated population of 6.9 million people, a nominal GDP of $4,046.63 per Capita, a power index of 1.3265, and a defence budget of $3,475 million.

The country has 30,000 active military troops, including several fighter aircraft, transport jets, armoured vehicles, rocket projects, and specialized attack jets. Libya has an estimated 48 million barrels of oil reserves and other natural resources.

9. Sudan

Sudan is the third largest in Africa and the world’s third-largest Arab country, with a population of 45.7 million people, a nominal GDP of $1,939.93 per Capita, a power index of 1.3382, and a defence budget of $287 million. The country has a total military force of 189,000, 105,000 active military members, and 84,000 reserves. 

Sudan has different defence equipment like aircraft carriers, transport jets, armoured vehicles, fighter planes, training jets, self-propelled artillery, patrol boats, and attack jets. It has oil reserves estimated to be around 5 million barrels of oil.

10. Tunisia

Tunisia is the only country that the Freedom House Organization has classed free in North Africa. The country has an estimated population of 11.8 million people and a nominal GDP of $3983.94. per Capita, a power index of 1.3664, and an estimated defence budget of $1,177 million.

Tunisia has roughly 36,000 active military personnel. For defence purposes, the country has different defence equipment, like armoured vehicles, fighter planes, training jets, aircraft carriers, etc.

Conclusion

In summary, as stated above, Africa is a powerful continent with great people. When determining a country’s power, You should evaluate its military personnel, defence weapons, defence budget, wealth, etc. These are essential factors in judging how powerful a country is.

This article contains the list of the most powerful African countries in this post; I hope you find this information helpful.