Determining the country in the Middle East and North Africa region most similar to Sub-Saharan Africa requires considering various social, cultural, economic, and political factors.
One way to answer this complex question is by analyzing the data from the Country Similarity Index. The index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries, using a variety of statistics from five broad categories: demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography.
The data suggests that Sudan and Mauritania are two countries that have strong traits of both the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. They could also be placed in a transitional Sahel region. This is no surprise since geographers tend to be split on which region they should belong in. The difference is not large between the two, so they ought to be always placed in the same region together.
However, the Country Similarity Index ultimately groups Sudan and Mauritania with the Middle East and North Africa region. On the other end of the spectrum, Israel has the least amount of traits in common with Sub-Saharan Africa in the Middle East.
(The following countries are considered to be part of the Sub-Saharan African region: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe)
Demographics and infrastructure are the two main areas where Sudan and Mauritania have a lot in common with Sub-Saharan Africa, despite being grouped with the Middle East and North Africa.
Demographics
Genetic studies have consistently shown that Sudanese and Mauritanian populations have a significant contribution from both North African and Sub-Saharan African ancestral groups. As a result, their people have more phenotypic traits of the Sub-Saharan African population than the Middle Eastern population. In addition, Sudan and Mauritania are significantly less wealthy than other countries in the Middle East, so they more closely align with Sub-Saharan Africa. These nations also have a median age that is closer to Sub-Saharan African countries than Middle Eastern countries.
Infrastructure
Like Mauritania and Sudan, many Sub-Saharan African countries face challenges in their transportation infrastructure. They have significantly fewer vehicles per capita and their road networks tend to be less developed compared to Middle Eastern countries. Access to clean water and sanitation facilities is more limited in Sudan, Mauritania, and Sub-Saharan Africa compared to most Middle Eastern and North African countries. These nations also have limited internet access, particularly in rural and remote areas.
