Top 5 richest African countries under military rule

While several African countries have transitioned to democratic rule since the wave of emancipation in the form of independence took hold in the 60s, some have reverted to a style of government that defined the initial phase of Africa’s autonomous rule.

When it comes to military rule in Africa in 2025, countries that immediately come to mind are situated in the Sahel region, some of which have taken radical approaches to governance.

These countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger which make up the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), are currently under junta governments owing to a large dissatisfaction with democratic rule.

While some have argued that reverting to military rule reverses some of the socio-political progress these countries have made, others have pointed out the ineffectiveness of democratic administrations that are too easily adulterated by government malpractice.

However, an easy metric to determine if a government is effective among factors like cost of living, security, and public sentiment, is the income the people get to take home.

How rich a country is, typically serves as a great indicator of good governance be it a military or democratic administration.

With that said, below are the richest African countries under military rule currently, based on their current GDP per capita, according to data from the International Monetary Fund.

The data represented below is the GDP per capita, PPP, which measures the total value of goods and services produced in a country, divided by its population, using purchasing power parity (PPP) to account for differences in the cost of living and exchange rates between countries.

Presently, there are 8 governments in the world officially recognized as military administrations, 7 of which are African.

Outside of the countries mentioned below, the rest are Myanmar, Niger and Sudan.

On August 30th, 2023, minutes after the state electoral body certified President Ali Bongo had won a third term, a group of prominent Gabonese military leaders appeared on national television early Wednesday and said that they had taken power.

They disbanded state institutions such as the Senate, National Assembly, and Constitutional Court. They then said that Bongo was under home arrest.

Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya became Guinea’s interim president in September 2021, less than a month after leading a coup against President Alpha Condé.

The former French legionnaire stated that the army had no choice but to assume control due to rampant corruption, disdain for human rights, and economic incompetence under 83-year-old President Condé.

In January 2022, mutinous troops commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba detained President Roch Marc Christian Kabore. Shortly after assuming office, Damiba promised to handle the country’s security issues.

Eight months later, on September 30, Captain Ibrahim Traoré declared himself president of Burkina Faso, the country’s second coup of the year. Traoré defended his seizure of power by citing Burkina Faso’s worsening security situation.

A group of Malian military leaders led by Assimi Goïta staged a coup d’état on August 18, 2020, toppling President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta on charges of corruption, insecurity, and a weak economy.

The junta consented to hand up power to a civilian-led temporary administration in February 2022, under pressure from the U.N. Security Council and international leaders. The government was entrusted with facilitating an 18-month transition to democratic elections.

The junta withdrew from the deal to return the nation to civilian elections after a disagreement with the acting president. Goïta staged another coup and remains in power today.

Following President Idriss Deby’s death on the battlefield while visiting forces engaged in combat with rebels in the north, the military council dissolved parliament in April 2021.

The speaker of parliament ought to have been elected president under Chadian legislation. But General Mahamat Idriss Deby, Deby’s son, was appointed interim president and given the responsibility of presiding over the 18-month election transition, since then he has ruled the state.