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- Business Insider Africa presents the top 10 hottest African countries in 2024.
- This list is courtesy of Yahoo Finance.
- . Burkina Faso ranks number 1 on the list, with a mean annual temperature of 29.3°C.
A publication, Down to Earth, reported that “Between March 18-19, 2024, at least five African nations — South Africa, Gabon, Kenya and South Sudan — reported record-breaking temperatures.”
South Sudan was able to record as high as 43 degrees Celcius on extremely hot days, while the numbers for South Africa’s Twee Rivieren, Upington, and Postmasburg, experienced 43.7°C, 42.3°C, 38.8°C, respectively.
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One of the most worrying characteristics of this heatwave is its length. Heatwaves often pass fast, but this one has lasted weeks with little respite in sight. This prolonged exposure to severe heat exacerbates the effects on both human health and the ecosystem.
Currently, Egypt is faced with an energy crisis exasperated by the heat wave.
In every region of the continent, from East to West and North to South, there is some measure of heatwave. Nasa recently reported that “in March 2024, a heatwave scorched East Africa. The extreme heat forced government officials to resort to emergency safety measures including shuttering schools in South Sudan for two weeks.”
With that said, here are the 10 hottest countries in Africa according to Yahoo Finance. This list covers the mean annual temperature as opposed to the hottest temperature each country has recorded.
| Rank | Country | Mean annual temperature | Global rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Burkina Faso | 29.3°C | 1st |
| 2. | Mali | 29.2°C | 2nd |
| 3. | Senegal | 29.0°C | 4th |
| 4. | Mauritania | 28.9°C | 6th |
| 5. | Benin | 28.7°C | 8th |
| 6. | Gambia | 28.5°C | 9th |
| 7. | Guinea-Bissau | 28.1°C | 10th |
| 8. | Ghana | 27.7°C | 13th |
| 9. | Sudan | 27.6°C | 15th |
| 10. | Niger | 27.6°C | 16th |
Methodology for the top 10 hottest African countries in 2024
The data for average annual temperatures, measured in degrees Celsius from the Yahoo Finance report, was sourced from the World Bank.