Niger

MERI Assessment

Niger scores 29.3 on the MERI Readiness Index, placing it in Tier 5 and 8.9 points below the Sub-Saharan Africa median. The country faces three active high-severity red flags: armed conflict with 534 battle-deaths over 97 events in the trailing 12 months, and dual international sanctions designations from OFAC and EU authorities. Talent and Operating conditions at 42.9 is the strongest pillar, anchored by Hiring and Workforce Availability at 88.0, while Market Infrastructure at 26.7 is constrained by Financial System Accessibility at 0.1 and Basic Digital Infrastructure at 2.1.

Two indicators are imputed from peer benchmarks (Trade Openness and Human Capital Quality) and three are missing entirely from the Regulatory and Institutional pillar (Foreign Ownership Restrictions, Business Entry, Contract Enforcement), reducing coverage to 75%.