Africa's spiciest cities, ranked

With Valentine’s Day just days away, love - and lust - are officially in the air. But across the Mother continent, not all African cities flirt the same way. Some look good, some talk a great game, and some… bring all the Tiesto vibes and get down to business.  

Africa’s spiciest cities have been ranked based on Time Out Loud research that includes over a thousand respondents from the below cities, looking at how often people say they:

• See someone attractive
• Go on dates
• Flirt
• Have nights out that might lead to romance
• And, yes - have sex!

Here’s how these five African cities stacked up, according to an overall spiciness score. But seriously, this Mother City's lovelife plot twist has us shaking our heads! Read on, and we'd love to know if you agree. 

🔥 1. Lagos: Where chemistry lives

Spiciest City Score: 7.09

Lagos is pure energy. It scores among the highest for seeing attractive people, and it flirts confidently into the overall lead. This is a city where eye contact turns into conversations that then turn into plans, and plans… well, you know. Lagos doesn’t just look good. It shakes and bakes, baby!

😈 2. Johannesburg: Less talk, more action

Spiciest City Score: 6.89

Johannesburg may not top the “most attractive” charts according to the respondents, but when it comes to doing the deed, it leaves everyone else in the dust - with the highest monthly frequency score sending its overall spiciest ranking soaring.

Joburg’s approach is refreshingly direct. Fewer dates, less flirting, and clearly more results. Call it efficiency or simply knowing what you want. Joburgers prove that attraction doesn’t need to be loud to be effective.

👀 3. Nairobi: All eyes...

Spiciest City Score: 6.77

Trailing ever so slightly in the spice ranking but cleaning up in the attractiveness factor, Nairobi's locals are easy on the eyes - and strong on flirting rizz too. Yet, this doesn’t always convert into dates or sex at the same rate as the locals in Joburg. So, essentially, it's all spark, but whether it becomes a flame depends who's doing the talking.

💅 4. Cape Town: Stunning to look at, harder to lock down

Spiciest City Score: 4.93

Cape Town ranks among the highest for seeing attractive people - right up there with Lagos and Nairobi. By all accounts, this city is full of beautiful humans. But good grief, the city might have wind but it's fanning no flames - especially when it comes to date nights, flirting, romance and doing the deed. 

The ingredients are there, however, the follow-through? Not so much. Cape Town is proving that being surrounded by hot people doesn’t automatically lead to hot behaviour!  

🌍 5 Accra: Low-key and laid back

Spiciest City Score: 4.89

Accra rounds out the ranking with a more relaxed pace. Attraction is present, flirting happens, but the overall frequency of dates, romance and sex is lower than in the other cities surveyed. The vibe is low-key and calm, depending on who you ask.

The verdict, based on these rankings, is that flirting and date night take vastly different approaches across the continent. And, yes, Johannesburg, we see your spiciness in closing the deal. *wink*  With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we're wondering: which city’s approach will you be taking?