Lagos Ranked Most Congested City in Africa for 2026

According to the latest Numbeo traffic index published in March 2026, Lagos has been identified as the most congested city in Africa, with a traffic index of 348.5 and an average commute time of 68.3 minutes. The report indicates that the extreme congestion in Lagos is a result of significant pressure on the road network due to rapid population growth and commercial activities, which have outpaced the development of transport infrastructure.

Other cities in the top ten include Nairobi (2nd), Cairo (3rd), Pretoria (4th), Cape Town (5th), Johannesburg (6th), Alexandria (7th), Casablanca (8th), Tunis (9th), and Port Elizabeth (10th). Each of these cities experiences varying levels of congestion, with commute times stretching beyond an hour in several cases.

The report underscores the ongoing intensification of traffic issues across major urban centers in Africa.