From Cape Town To Cairo: Africa’s 30 Most Attractive Cities For 2025

Here Are Africa’s 30 Most Attractive Cities In 2025

A major new ranking has revealed the definitive list of Africa’s urban powerhouses for 2025, with Egypt’s Cairo taking the top crown. The second edition of Jeune Afrique’s African Cities Attractiveness Index, published on Tuesday, 2 December 2025, provides a comprehensive league table of 30 metropolises, combining the perceptions of thousands of residents with hard economic data. The list signals a continent on the move, where historic capitals are being challenged by dynamic ports and tech hubs.

The ranking is the result of a robust methodology. It integrates an opinion survey of 7,877 city residents across the continent, conducted with Sagaci Research, with an objective analysis of foreign direct investment flows between 2020 and 2023. Julien Wagner, the journalist in charge of the ranking, emphasised the study’s critical timing, stating,

“This ranking comes at a time when Africa is experiencing unprecedented urbanization. The number of city dwellers will double by 2050 to reach nearly 1.4 billion people.”

The Top Ten Reveal A Reshuffled Order

The most dramatic shift is at the very top. Cairo’s ascent from eighth place last year to first is described as a direct result of massive investment. Selene Brophy, City Editor for Time Out Cape Town, highlighted the catalysts, noting the city benefited from

“large-scale investment, ‘particularly from the Gulf and China, along with significant urban transformation projects, including its New Administrative Capital’.”

Kigali retains its position as a model of governance and cleanliness in second place, while Nairobi’s remarkable climb to third underscores its status as a continental tech hub. The report on Nairobi confirmed its rise was

“supported by its ambition to position itself as a continental tech hub, as well as its major infrastructure and mobility projects.”

Cape Town, last year’s leader, now sits in fourth, followed by a strong showing from Moroccan and other South African cities. The full ranking of the top thirty cities is as follows:

Cairo, Egypt
Kigali, Rwanda
Nairobi, Kenya
Cape Town, South Africa
Rabat, Morocco
Johannesburg, South Africa
Casablanca, Morocco
Lagos, Nigeria
Tangier, Morocco
Alexandria, Egypt
Mombasa, Kenya
Accra, Ghana
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Marrakech, Morocco
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Cotonou, Benin
Abuja, Nigeria
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Lusaka, Zambia
Durban, South Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Bamako, Mali
Dakar, Senegal
Tunis, Tunisia
Luanda, Angola
Algiers, Algeria
Libreville, Gabon
Antananarivo, Madagascar
Maputo, Mozambique
Lomé, Togo

Beyond The Rankings: Key Continental Trends

The list confirms several powerful trends reshaping Africa’s urban landscape. The entry of cities like Tangier and Mombasa highlights the rising clout of secondary cities and major ports.

Furthermore, the report points to a growing divergence, with anglophone cities generally demonstrating stronger resilience and capacity to attract investment compared to some francophone counterparts.