Nigeria Ranks Second In Africa, 28th Globally In Road Network

Nigeria has emerged as the country with the second-largest road network in Africa and the 28th largest globally, according to the 2026 data by Global Firepower.

The country has an estimated 195,000 kilometres of usable roadway coverage, placing it behind only South Africa, which has about 750,000 kilometres of roads.

Nigeria’s ranking puts it ahead of Ethiopia and Kenya, which occupy the 30th and 32nd positions globally, with 180,000 kilometres and 161,452 kilometres of roadway coverage respectively.

The data showed that the Democratic Republic of Congo ranks fifth in Africa with 152,373 kilometres, followed by Tanzania with 145,203 kilometres.

Mali occupies the seventh position with 139,107 kilometres, while Algeria ranks eighth with 112,696 kilometres.

Zimbabwe, with 97,267 kilometres, is ninth, while South Sudan completes the continent’s top 10 with 90,200 kilometres.

According to Global Firepower, the figures measure the total usable or useful roadway coverage in each country and form part of its 2026 logistics ranking.

The organisation noted that road networks are an important indicator of infrastructure development, providing access to industrial areas, transport terminals and ports.

Globally, the United States has the largest road network, covering approximately 6.59 million kilometres, followed by India with 6.37 million kilometres.

China ranks third with about 5.2 million kilometres, while Brazil and Russia occupy the fourth and fifth positions with approximately two million kilometres and 1.28 million kilometres respectively.

South Africa is the only African country among the global top 20, ranking 11th worldwide.

Global Firepower, however, clarified that the ranking is based solely on the total length of usable roadway coverage. It does not assess the quality or condition of roads, nor does it indicate the proportion of roads that are paved.