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Indicators · Governance

Regulatory quality

Perceptions of the government's ability to make and enforce policies that support private sector development, as a score from 0 (weakest) to 100 (strongest).

Why it matters

The closest single measure of how friendly the rules are to private investment.

Read with care

Perception-based. The World Bank now publishes these indicators as a 0 to 100 score rather than a percentile rank, so compare scores with scores.

Source

World Bank

score (0 to 100). 54 African countries, 1996 to 2025.

Regulation: highest in Mauritius, lowest in DRC

Regulatory quality, score (0 to 100). Latest year available, 2025. 16 of 16 countries have data.

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Source: World Bank· Get the data (Professional)·dotzedw Insights Centre

Ranked: regulationiWhy it mattersThe closest single measure of how friendly the rules are to private investment.

Click a country to highlight it.

020406080Mauritius72Botswana62Seychelles61Namibia57South Africa54Zambia48Lesotho47Tanzania47Malawi45Eswatini44Angola43Mozambique42Madagascar41Comoros36Zimbabwe34DRC33median 46
dotzedw Insights Centre
How spread out SADC is
Median 46Lowest: DRC 33Highest: Mauritius 72

Over time

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Regulatory quality against income per person

Each bubble is a SADC country, sized by population. Dashed lines mark the SADC medians. Countries far from the pattern are worth a closer look.

020406080$1,000$3,000$10kGDP per person, US$ (log scale)RegulationDRCTanzaniaSouth AfricaAngolaMozambiqueZimbabweLesothoMauritius
Source: World Bank, World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Table

The same figures as the map, for screen readers and copying.
RankCountryValueYearFive-year changeGradeDetails
1Mauritius722025down 1 since 2020A
2Botswana622025down 1 since 2020A
3Seychelles612025little changed since 2020A
4Namibia572025little changed since 2020A
5South Africa542025down 3 since 2020A
6Zambia482025up 3 since 2020A
7Lesotho472025up 3 since 2020A
8Tanzania472025up 4 since 2020A
9Malawi452025up 2 since 2020A
10Eswatini442025down 4 since 2020A
11Angola432025up 5 since 2020A
12Mozambique422025little changed since 2020A
13Madagascar412025little changed since 2020A
14Comoros362025up 3 since 2020A
15Zimbabwe342025up 1 since 2020A
16DRC332025up 1 since 2020A