Which African country has the most startups?

Nigeria, with 2,721 startups, followed by South Africa (1,852), Kenya (1,185) and Egypt (1,054).

Which African country's startups have raised the most funding?

South Africa, with $13.9B, ahead of Kenya ($9.5B), Nigeria ($9.1B) and Egypt ($6.7B).

Which region has the most startups?

West Africa, with 3,455 startups across 16 countries (34%). Southern Africa follows with 2,354.

How many African countries have startups on StartupList Africa?

50 of Africa's 54 countries have at least one startup listed. Each has its own country page with its startups, sectors and cities.

CountriesDirectory · updated daily

Startups in Africa, by country

10,016 startups across 50 African countries have raised $48.1B between them. Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt are home to 68% of them.

50 of 54 countries10,016 startupsSource: SLA Startup IndexHow we count →Browse by city →

West Africa

34%

3,455 startups · 16 countries
$11.5B raised

Southern Africa

24%

2,354 startups · 12 countries
$15.1B raised

North Africa

20%

2,038 startups · 6 countries
$8.0B raised

East Africa

19%

1,926 startups · 10 countries
$13.1B raised

Central Africa

243 startups · 6 countries
$462M raised

The four largest ecosystems6,812 startups · $39.2B · by startups

NigeriaStartups2,721Funding$9.1BShare27%West Africa South AfricaStartups1,852Funding$13.9BShare18%Southern Africa KenyaStartups1,185Funding$9.5BShare12%East Africa EgyptStartups1,054Funding$6.7BShare11%North Africa

All 50 countriesby startups

Sort by

#	Country	Region	Startups	Share	Funding	Top sector
1	Nigeria	West Africa	2,721	27.2%	$9.1B	FinTech
2	South Africa	Southern Africa	1,852	18.5%	$13.9B	SaaS
3	Kenya	East Africa	1,185	11.8%	$9.5B	FinTech
4	Egypt	North Africa	1,054	10.5%	$6.7B	E-Commerce
5	Tunisia	North Africa	452	4.5%	$237M	SaaS
6	Morocco	North Africa	435	4.3%	$715M	SaaS
7	Ghana	West Africa	335	3.3%	$1.2B	FinTech
8	Uganda	East Africa	208	2.1%	$184M	FinTech
9	Cameroon	Central Africa	189	1.9%	$36M	SaaS
10	Rwanda	East Africa	185	1.8%	$2.1B	FinTech
11	Tanzania	East Africa	178	1.8%	$252M	FinTech
12	Ethiopia	East Africa	140	1.4%	$63M	SaaS
13	Côte d'Ivoire	West Africa	134	1.3%	$192M	FinTech
14	Zimbabwe	Southern Africa	117	1.2%	$29M	SaaS
15	Senegal	West Africa	114	1.1%	$611M	FinTech
16	Zambia	Southern Africa	80	0.8%	$160M	FinTech
17	Mauritius	Southern Africa	77	0.8%	$809M	FinTech
18	Angola	Southern Africa	65	0.6%	$5M	FinTech
19	Algeria	North Africa	58	0.6%	$289M	Marketplace
20	Benin	West Africa	47	0.5%	$20K	FinTech
21	Mozambique	Southern Africa	47	0.5%	$7M	Marketplace
22	Botswana	Southern Africa	39	0.4%	$26M	Marketplace
23	DR Congo	Central Africa	35	0.3%	$387M	SaaS
24	Libya	North Africa	29	0.3%	$850K	FinTech
25	Togo	West Africa	24	0.2%	$193M	FinTech
26	Madagascar	Southern Africa	22	0.2%	$638K	Marketplace
27	Malawi	Southern Africa	22	0.2%	$67M	Marketplace
28	Namibia	Southern Africa	22	0.2%	$49M	Marketplace
29	Mali	West Africa	15	0.1%	$60M	Transportation
30	Guinea	West Africa	13	0.1%	$6M	FinTech
31	Burkina Faso	West Africa	10	0.1%	$14M	E-Commerce
32	Congo	Central Africa	10	0.1%	$38M	Marketplace
33	Sierra Leone	West Africa	10	0.1%	$74M	EdTech
34	Somalia	East Africa	10	0.1%	$962M	FinTech
35	Sudan	North Africa	10	0.1%	$12M	FinTech
36	Cape Verde	West Africa	9	0.1%	Not disclosed	Marketplace
37	Lesotho	Southern Africa	8	0.1%	$52M	Renewable Energy
38	Liberia	West Africa	8	0.1%	$11K	Marketplace
39	Djibouti	East Africa	7	0.1%	$30M	Marketplace
40	Gambia	West Africa	7	0.1%	Not disclosed	SaaS
41	Seychelles	East Africa	7	0.1%	$10M	FinTech
42	Gabon	Central Africa	6	0.1%	$755K	SaaS
43	Niger	West Africa	4	0.0%	Not disclosed	HRTech
44	Burundi	East Africa	3	0.0%	Not disclosed	Marketplace
45	Eswatini	Southern Africa	3	0.0%	Not disclosed	HRTech
46	Mauritania	West Africa	3	0.0%	$8M	Precious Metals
47	South Sudan	East Africa	3	0.0%	Not disclosed	FinTech
48	Chad	Central Africa	2	0.0%	Not disclosed	Marketplace
49	Central African Republic	Central Africa	1	0.0%	Not disclosed	Security
50	Guinea Bissau	West Africa	1	0.0%	Not disclosed

SLA Startup Index · funding is the disclosed total of each country's startups

Frequently asked about African startup ecosystems

Which African country has the most startups?: Nigeria, with 2,721 startups, followed by South Africa (1,852), Kenya (1,185) and Egypt (1,054).
Which African country's startups have raised the most funding?: South Africa, with $13.9B, ahead of Kenya ($9.5B), Nigeria ($9.1B) and Egypt ($6.7B).
Which region has the most startups?: West Africa, with 3,455 startups across 16 countries (34%). Southern Africa follows with 2,354.
How many African countries have startups on StartupList Africa?: 50 of Africa's 54 countries have at least one startup listed. Each has its own country page with its startups, sectors and cities.

Cite this page

StartupList Africa, “Startups in Africa, by country”, updated 31 Oct 2026.

startuplist.africa/countries