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Climate change is inseparably linked to major development issues. One of the many injustices associated with climate change is the fact that it most severely hits the world’s poorest countries, particularly African nations. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (i) to assess the structural vulnerability of African countries to climate change relative to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other developing countries; and (ii) to provide a typology that groups African countries according to their climate change vulnerability characteristics. The study shows that African countries are, on average, almost at the same level of vulnerability as SIDS, but are far more vulnerable than other developing countries. However, some African countries are more vulnerable than others, and the characteristic factors of the vulnerability of African countries to climate change differ from one country or group of countries to another. High average temperatures and the increasing trend in temperature and precipitation shocks are identified as common characteristics of structural vulnerability to climate change for all African country groups. Codes JEL: C43, O55, Q01, Q54.