Published On 10/6/2026
Despite indicators of economic recovery recorded by several African countries over the past two years, the majority of the continent’s population is still suffering from difficult living conditions, according to a recent report by the Afrobarometer research network, which showed the widening scope of poverty, unemployment, and high costs of living in most African countries.
The report, which was based on 50,961 interviews in 38 African countries during the years 2024 and 2025, indicated that Africa has achieved remarkable economic progress and has become the second fastest growing region in the world after Asia, but this improvement has not been significantly reflected in the lives of millions of citizens.
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Broad economic pessimism
The survey results showed that 59% of Africans describe the economic conditions in their countries as “bad” or “very bad,” while 51% believe that economic conditions have deteriorated compared to the previous year. Also, 58% of respondents said that their country is moving in the “wrong direction.”
Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Lesotho, Malawi, and Congo-Brazzaville recorded the highest levels of negative assessments of economic conditions, while Gabon and Côte d’Ivoire were among the few countries whose citizens expressed a relatively positive assessment of the economy.
In North Africa, 62% of Tunisians described the current economic situation as “bad” or “very bad”, compared to only 17% who saw it as good, while 43% of Mauritanians said that the situation was bad or very bad, compared to 39% who saw it as good. Included in the report.
When comparing the economic situation to what it was 12 months ago, 46% of Mauritanians saw that it had become worse, compared to 30% who said it had improved, while 42% of Tunisians said that the situation had deteriorated, compared to 28% who saw it as better.
In Morocco, only 28% said the economy had become worse, while 40% said it had improved, compared to an African average of 51% who said the situation had worsened.
Despite this pessimism, the report showed a degree of cautious optimism, as 49% of participants expected economic conditions to improve over the next 12 months, compared to only 29% who expected further deterioration.
Tunisians were the most optimistic in this regard, as 67% of them expected the economy to improve during the next 12 months, compared to 15% who expected it to deteriorate.
In Morocco, 47% expected a better economic future, compared to 25% who expected the worst, while 39% of Mauritanians expected the economic situation to improve, compared to 22% who expected it to decline.
Unemployment and high cost of living are at the forefront
According to the report, unemployment and the high cost of living are among the most prominent issues that citizens want their governments to address urgently. He also pointed out that about 35% of working-age adults said they were unemployed and looking for jobs.
The data showed that livelihood deprivation is still widespread, as 79% of participants reported that they suffered from a shortage of cash income during the past year, while 65% faced difficulties in obtaining health care, 58% faced a shortage of food, 57% a shortage of clean water, and 52% faced difficulties in obtaining cooking fuel.
About half of the participants (47%) also said that they had to request financial assistance from family members at least once during the past year to meet their basic needs.
Criticisms of government performance
The survey showed that a large majority of Africans are dissatisfied with the performance of their governments in key economic issues, as 82% believe that governments have failed to control prices, while 79% believe that they have failed to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor.
Also, 76% evaluated the performance of governments negatively in creating job opportunities, 73% in improving the living standards of the poor, and 64% in managing the economy in general.
Despite these negative assessments, the report indicated a slight improvement compared to the years of the Corona pandemic, which reflects some progress in managing economic files, even if it remains far from meeting citizens’ aspirations.
The report explained that global wars and crises, including conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, contributed to rising prices of food, fuel, and fertilizers, which weakened the impact of economic growth and increased pressure on African families, at a time when poverty and inequality rates remain among the highest in the world.
