Kenya ranks among Africa’s top 10, while Somalia’s progress from a low base highlights the gap between improvement and performance
East Africa is recording sharply divergent governance outcomes, with Kenya and Rwanda showing accelerating progress while Ethiopia and Tanzania face warning signs that earlier gains are being eroded, according to the 2026 Ibrahim Index of African Governance.
Published by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation in October, the report places Kenya 10th among Africa’s 54 countries, Rwanda 14th and Tanzania 18th. Uganda ranks 28th, Ethiopia shares 30th place with Zimbabwe, and Djibouti stands 35th. Burundi, Eritrea, Somalia and South Sudan remain near the bottom of the continental rankings.
The results reveal a region where improvements in public services and economic opportunity do not necessarily coincide with stronger security, political participation or accountability. They also underline an important distinction: a country can improve substantially while still providing a low overall level of governance.
The index assesses the provision of political, social, economic and environmental public goods. Its 2026 edition covers 2016–2025, drawing on 96 indicators organised into four categories: Security and Rule of Law; Participation, Rights and Inclusion; Foundations for Economic Opportunity; and Human Development. Scores run from zero to 100, with higher scores indicating better performance.
Ethiopia, Tanzania and Eritrea are the only three countries classified under the report’s overall governance “Warning Signs” category.
This means their scores in 2025 were better than, or unchanged from, 2016, but their trajectories had turned downward over 2021–2025. The classification does not mean their full-decade performance deteriorated; rather, it signals that recent declines threaten earlier progress.
For Ethiopia, the report also identifies weaknesses in security and welfare. The country ranks 44th in Security and Safety and 41st in Rule of Law and Justice. Its Social Protection and Welfare performance deteriorated over the decade, placing it alongside Nigeria among the continent’s most populous countries where that measure declined.
Tanzania’s warning-sign classification, meanwhile, sits alongside notable achievements in service delivery. The report identifies Tanzania as the continent’s largest improver in Health over the decade, illustrating how progress in one area can coexist with a weakening overall trajectory.
Kenya and Rwanda are classified as showing “Increasing Improvement” in overall governance, meaning their scores improved over the decade and the pace of progress accelerated during its latter half.
Djibouti and South Sudan fall into the same trend category, although their overall positions differ substantially. South Sudan remains Africa’s lowest-ranked country, demonstrating that an improving trajectory does not automatically translate into strong governance outcomes.
Kenya’s 10th-place position makes it one of the continent’s leading overall performers. Yet its results are uneven: it ranks 15th in Rule of Law and Justice but 41st in Security and Safety. Rwanda ranks 12th and 22nd in those respective measures.
Uganda follows a different path. Classified as “Bouncing Back,” it recorded an overall deterioration between 2016 and 2025 but showed improvement during 2021–2025. Its recent recovery has therefore not yet reversed the full-decade loss.
Somalia presents one of the report’s clearest examples of progress from a low starting point.
Its overall governance score increased by five points over the decade to 26.6 out of 100, placing it among Africa’s largest improvers. Nevertheless, it ranks 53rd, ahead only of South Sudan. Its improvement is also slowing.
Somalia recorded the continent’s largest gains in Rule of Law and Justice, Public Administration, and Social Protection and Welfare, improving by 14.5, 19.3 and 17.2 points respectively.
However, its final scores remain low. It ranks 50th in Public Administration and 51st in Social Protection and Welfare, showing how substantial gains can still leave major institutional and service-delivery gaps.
Djibouti also stands out for progress, gaining 4.3 points in overall governance to reach 45.0. It recorded Africa’s largest improvement in Education, rising by 15.2 points over the decade.
Across Africa, the overall governance score increased only modestly, from 49.3 in 2016 to 50.1 in 2025. Gains in economic opportunity and human development outweighed declines in security, rule of law, participation and rights.
Foundations for Economic Opportunity improved by 3.7 points and Human Development by 2.5 points. Security and Rule of Law fell by 1.7 points, while Participation, Rights and Inclusion declined by one point.
The report also identifies a recent environmental concern for Eastern Africa. Enforcement of Environmental Policies declined by 2.8 points between 2021 and 2025, making it the only African region to register a decline in that measure over the period.
For East Africa, the findings present a picture of divergence, rather than uniform progress or decline. Stronger services, institutional improvements and economic foundations are visible, but the durability of those gains remains closely tied to security, accountable institutions and citizens’ ability to participate in public life.
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