Cape Town ranks as Africa's 4th Most Attractive City

Cape Town has slipped from its top spot to rank 4th in the latest Jeune Afrique’s 2025 ranking of the 30 most attractive African cities.

Egypt's Cairo has rocketed to the top, while Kigali has held its neat second spot, and Nairobi has climbed three places to claim third position. Cape Town remains a headline city named the Best City in the World for 2025 by our Time Out audience - but if anything this report, based on the perceptions of over 7,000 residents surveyed across the continent, shows that a few capitals are no longer shaping Africa’s future. 

2025 Top 10 Most Attractive African Cities  

1. Cairo (8th in 2024)
2. Kigali (2nd in 2024)  
3. Nairobi (6th in 2024)  
4. Cape Town (1st in 2024)  
5. Casablanca (4th in 2024)
6. Rabat (5th in 2024)
7. Johannesburg (3rd in 2024)  
8. Lagos (11th in 2024)  
9. Pretoria (not ranked in 2024)  
10. Tangier (not ranked in 2024)    

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Decentralisation is real, with the continent's map now spreading beyond old-world capitals. Ports, secondary cities and tech clusters are clawing space onto its growth stage.

Key factors noted by residents in the survey include the prioritisation of good governance and the livability of cities, with Johannesburg ranking above average in terms of direct foreign investment (recently hosting the G20 Summit) - yet, it is the lowest in the overall top 10 for quality of life, in the face of its numerous service delivery challenges.

Kigali’s sustained high ranking and the highest quality of life scoring for the top 10 cities, highlight cleanliness and effective city management as tangible factors in destination appeal. Cities that combine scale, young populations, and jobs are rising fastest, with Lagos and Nairobi being cited as textbook examples. 

Cairo’s leap from 8th position last year, however, indicates that large-scale investment, "particularly from the Gulf and China, along with significant urban transformation projects, including its New Administrative Capital", can significantly reshape a city’s attractiveness in a short period of time.

Cape Town's boom is accelerating  

 It really is impossible not to be optimistic about the city's future. Over the past year, Cape Town has wrapped up its biggest cruise season ever. Meanwhile, airline capacity is climbing as delayed upgrades at Cape Town International are set to kick off in 2026. 

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The new international airport in the Cape Winelands on the horizon, also bodes well for improved appeal and ranking. 

Adding investment impetus, the iconic Table Bay Hotel is set to reopen as an InterContinental this December, while an even bigger Granger Bay project to the tune of R20-billion is advancing through approvals, signalling Cape Town’s next era of waterfront reinvention.   

Therefore, Cape Town's drop to fourth can be seen as a reality check for inclusive growth across our communities, so that the city’s unbeatable lifestyle becomes an enduring benefit for residents across the board.