Africa's Population
Africa is home to roughly 1,444,310,000 people across 54 countries — about 18% of the world's population, growing faster than any other continent.
Population by Country
Click any country to view its full guide. Population estimates reflect recent UN and national statistics.
| Rank | Country | Population | % of Africa | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 223,800,000 | 15.5% | West Africa |
| 2 | Ethiopia | 126,500,000 | 8.8% | East Africa |
| 3 | Egypt | 110,000,000 | 7.6% | North Africa |
| 4 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 102,300,000 | 7.1% | Central Africa |
| 5 | Tanzania | 65,500,000 | 4.5% | East Africa |
| 6 | South Africa | 60,400,000 | 4.2% | Southern Africa |
| 7 | Kenya | 55,100,000 | 3.8% | East Africa |
| 8 | Sudan | 47,900,000 | 3.3% | North Africa |
| 9 | Uganda | 47,200,000 | 3.3% | East Africa |
| 10 | Algeria | 45,400,000 | 3.1% | North Africa |
| 11 | Morocco | 37,500,000 | 2.6% | North Africa |
| 12 | Angola | 35,600,000 | 2.5% | Central Africa |
| 13 | Mozambique | 33,900,000 | 2.3% | Southern Africa |
| 14 | Ghana | 33,500,000 | 2.3% | West Africa |
| 15 | Madagascar | 30,300,000 | 2.1% | East Africa |
| 16 | Ivory Coast | 28,800,000 | 2.0% | West Africa |
| 17 | Cameroon | 28,100,000 | 1.9% | Central Africa |
| 18 | Niger | 26,200,000 | 1.8% | West Africa |
| 19 | Burkina Faso | 23,300,000 | 1.6% | West Africa |
| 20 | Mali | 22,600,000 | 1.6% | West Africa |
| 21 | Malawi | 20,900,000 | 1.4% | Southern Africa |
| 22 | Zambia | 20,000,000 | 1.4% | Southern Africa |
| 23 | Chad | 17,700,000 | 1.2% | Central Africa |
| 24 | Senegal | 17,700,000 | 1.2% | West Africa |
| 25 | Somalia | 17,600,000 | 1.2% | East Africa |
| 26 | Zimbabwe | 16,300,000 | 1.1% | Southern Africa |
| 27 | Guinea | 14,200,000 | 1.0% | West Africa |
| 28 | Rwanda | 13,800,000 | 1.0% | East Africa |
| 29 | Benin | 13,300,000 | 0.9% | West Africa |
| 30 | Burundi | 13,200,000 | 0.9% | East Africa |
| 31 | Tunisia | 12,400,000 | 0.9% | North Africa |
| 32 | South Sudan | 11,000,000 | 0.8% | East Africa |
| 33 | Togo | 8,800,000 | 0.6% | West Africa |
| 34 | Sierra Leone | 8,600,000 | 0.6% | West Africa |
| 35 | Libya | 6,900,000 | 0.5% | North Africa |
| 36 | Republic of the Congo | 6,100,000 | 0.4% | Central Africa |
| 37 | Central African Republic | 5,500,000 | 0.4% | Central Africa |
| 38 | Liberia | 5,400,000 | 0.4% | West Africa |
| 39 | Mauritania | 4,900,000 | 0.3% | West Africa |
| 40 | Eritrea | 3,700,000 | 0.3% | East Africa |
| 41 | Gambia | 2,700,000 | 0.2% | West Africa |
| 42 | Botswana | 2,630,000 | 0.2% | Southern Africa |
| 43 | Namibia | 2,600,000 | 0.2% | Southern Africa |
| 44 | Gabon | 2,400,000 | 0.2% | Central Africa |
| 45 | Lesotho | 2,300,000 | 0.2% | Southern Africa |
| 46 | Guinea-Bissau | 2,100,000 | 0.1% | West Africa |
| 47 | Equatorial Guinea | 1,700,000 | 0.1% | Central Africa |
| 48 | Mauritius | 1,300,000 | 0.1% | East Africa |
| 49 | Eswatini | 1,200,000 | 0.1% | Southern Africa |
| 50 | Djibouti | 1,140,000 | 0.1% | East Africa |
| 51 | Comoros | 850,000 | 0.1% | East Africa |
| 52 | Western Sahara | 600,000 | 0.0% | North Africa |
| 53 | Cape Verde | 560,000 | 0.0% | West Africa |
| 54 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 230,000 | 0.0% | Central Africa |
| 55 | Seychelles | 100,000 | 0.0% | East Africa |
The Concentration of African Population
The five most populous African countries — Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, DR Congo and South Africa (or Tanzania) — together hold approximately 43% of the continent's total population. Nigeria alone accounts for roughly 15%.
Population Growth Trajectory
Africa's population doubled between 1990 and 2020 and is on track to double again by 2050, reaching an estimated 2.5 billion people. Nigeria is projected to overtake the United States to become the world's third most populous country before 2050. Several other African countries — DR Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Egypt — will rank in the global top 20 by mid-century.
This demographic dividend — a large working-age population entering the labour force — could transform African economies if matched with education, jobs and infrastructure. It also creates urgent pressure on cities, water, energy and food systems.
Urbanisation
Africa is urbanising rapidly. In 1990 about 30% of Africans lived in cities; today the figure is over 45% and projected to exceed 60% by 2050. Lagos, Kinshasa and Cairo are already megacities of 15+ million; by 2050 they will be joined by Luanda, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi and others.