South Sudan ranks last in Africa in 2026 governance index – new report

South Sudan has been ranked the worst-governed country in Africa, placing 54th out of 54 countries in the 2026 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, with a score of just 20.4 out of 100.

The report, published in October by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, places South Sudan at the bottom of the continental rankings, behind Somalia, which ranks 53rd with a score of 26.6.

Despite its poor overall performance, South Sudan registered a marginal improvement of 0.5 points between 2016 and 2025.

The report describes the country’s performance trend as “Increasing Improvement”, indicating that progress has gained some momentum in recent years.

However, the slight improvement has not been enough to lift South Sudan from the bottom of the rankings.

The index measures governance performance across four key areas: security and the rule of law; participation, rights and inclusion; foundations for economic opportunity; and human development.

The findings point to persistent governance challenges in South Sudan, particularly in strengthening public institutions and improving service delivery.

The government has not yet responded to the report.

The 2026 index covers the period from 2016 to 2025 and assesses governance performance across all 54 African countries.