Top 10 Africa’s Highest Minimum Wages in 2025

 The countries with the highest minimum wages in Africa are mostly small islands, a bunch in North Africa, and a few places rich in oil and gas.

Seychelles tops the chart with the continent’s highest nominal wage, while Nigeria, despite being Africa’s largest economy, remains outside the top 10. 

Here’s a closer look at the countries that set the pace this year.

1. Seychelles

Seychelles has held the top spot for several years. Its wage floor of about $404 per month reflects the island’s service-driven economy dominated by tourism, hospitality, and financial services.

A very high cost of living partly offsets the high wage; imports drive food and fuel prices. Still, the government uses wages as a tool to keep households afloat in an expensive economy.

2. Mauritius

Mauritius combines tourism, financial services, and light manufacturing, giving it a more diversified base than many peers. The government regularly reviews wages in line with inflation and uses the minimum wage as part of a broader social protection model.

Although lower than Seychelles’, Mauritius’ wage is still high by African standards, and workers benefit from strong institutions and reliable enforcement.

3. Morocco

Morocco has steadily raised its minimum wage, reflecting growth in manufacturing (automotive, textiles, electronics) and tourism. Collective bargaining and government review mechanisms ensure regular adjustments. Although Morocco’s cost of living is rising, its minimum wage still goes further than those in small island states, making it one of the most balanced wage structures in Africa.

4. South Africa

South Africa is the only large sub-Saharan African economy in the top 10. Its minimum wage system is national, though provinces and sectors sometimes set higher standards.

With strong trade unions and legal enforcement, compliance is higher than in most African countries. The challenge is unemployment: high wage floors can squeeze SMEs, limiting job creation even while protecting existing workers.

5. Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea’s oil wealth supports a relatively high minimum wage. However, the economy is heavily dependent on hydrocarbons, and inequality remains stark.

The wage benefits workers in government and formal companies, but much of the population works informally or outside the wage system, limiting the impact.

6. Libya

Libya’s minimum wage reflects its resource-rich status. Oil revenues enable the state to maintain a relatively high nominal wage, particularly in the public sector.

But instability and conflict reduce how effectively these wages translate into broad prosperity. Many Libyans face employment challenges even as nominal pay levels look high on paper.

7. Tunisia

Tunisia’s wage floor has risen steadily in response to inflation and social pressures. With a strong manufacturing base and a significant tourism sector, wage policy is part of a broader effort to maintain social peace and support household consumption.

Tunisia’s labour market is more formalised than in many sub-Saharan peers, making the minimum wage more meaningful.

8. Algeria

Like Libya, Algeria funds higher wages through oil and gas revenues. The state remains the largest employer, and wage reviews are often politically sensitive.

Algeria’s challenge is youth unemployment: high floors help protect workers but can discourage private-sector job creation if productivity does not keep up.

9. Egypt

Egypt raised its private-sector minimum wage to EGP 7,000 in March 2025, more than doubling it within two years. This was part of an anti-inflation push after years of currency devaluation.

While the higher wage helps households, inflation has eroded purchasing power sharply, so real living standards remain under pressure despite nominal increases.

10. Mauritania – $112.64 monthly

Mauritania rounds out the list with a monthly wage floor just above $112. While far lower than Seychelles or South Africa, it places in the top 10 due to relatively modest adjustments across the continent.

The wage is meaningful in the Mauritanian context but limited by structural poverty and reliance on informal work.