Africa is the second-largest continent by geographic area and the second-most populous continent globally, with an area of approximately 30 million km² (11.6 million mi²) and a population of 1.2 billion people. Africa has 54 countries fully recognized by the United Nations, two independent states with limited or no recognition (Western Sahara and Somaliland), and several territories (mostly islands) controlled by non-African countries. For example, the Canary Islands are ruled by Spain. That said, given Africa’s complicated political situation, history of colonialism, and ongoing insurrections in many countries, the exact number of officially recognized countries on the continent remains a contentious issue.
Africa’s population is the youngest of all the continents, with a median age of 19.7 (in comparison to the global median age of 30.4). Niger has the lowest median age in the world at 15.3 years. Africa is also the poorest continent (excluding Antarctica) by a wide margin. The northern country of Algeria is Africa’s largest sovereign state and also among its most populous, with around 44 million residents. Nigeria is by far the largest country in terms of population, with more than 211 million people as of 2021. Ethiopia follows with almost 118 million, while Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya all have populations ranging from 92 million to 54 million.
Even the smaller countries in Africa have relatively large populations. Rwanda and Burundi are relatively small in area (although both share borders with the much larger Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania), yet have 13.2 million and 12.2 million people, respectively. The tiny landlocked country of Lesotho, surrounded by vastly bigger South Africa, has more than 2.1 million. Seychelles—an Indian ocean archipelago made up of 115 islands—is Africa’s smallest country, with a total population of about 98,000.
What are the African countries?
African countries include Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho. Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Countries In Africa By Population Size
Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. As of 2023, the country counted over 223.8 million individuals, whereas Ethiopia, which ranked second, has 115 million inhabitants. Egypt registered the largest population in North Africa, reaching 102 million people. In terms of inhabitants per square kilometer, Nigeria only ranks eighth, while Mauritius has the highest population density on the whole African continent
The fastest growing world region
Africa is the second most populous continent in the world, after Asia. Nevertheless, Africa records the highest growth rate worldwide, with figures rising by over two percent every year. In some countries, such as in Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad, the population increase peaks at over three percent. With so many births, Africa is also the youngest continent in the world. However, this is also the result of a low life expectancy.
African cities on the rise
The last decades have seen high urbanization rates in Asia, mainly in China and India. However, African cities are currently growing at larger rates. Indeed, most of the fastest-growing cities in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gwagwalada, in Nigeria, and Kabinda, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ranked first worldwide. By 2035, instead, Africa’s fastest-growing cities are forecasted to be Bujumbura, in Burundi, and Zinder, Nigeria.
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List Of 58 Countries In Africa And Their Population Size.
1. Nigeria 🇳🇬 223,804,632
2. Ethiopia 🇪🇹 126,527,060
3. Egypt 🇪🇬 112,716,598
4. Democratic Republic of Congo 🇨🇩 102,262,808
5. Tanzania 🇹🇿 67,438,106
6. South Africa 🇿🇦 60,414,495
7. Kenya 🇰🇪 55,100,586
8. Sudan 🇸🇩 48,109,006
9. Uganda 🇺🇬 48,582,334
10. Algeria 🇩🇿 45,606,480
11. Morocco 🇲🇦 37,840,044
12. Angola 🇦🇴 36,684,202
13. Ghana 🇬🇭 34,121,985
14. Mozambique 🇲🇿 33,897,354
15. Madagascar 🇲🇬 30,325,732
16. Ivory Coast 🇨🇮 (Côte d’Ivoire) 28,873,034
17. Cameroon 🇨🇲 28,647,293
18. Niger 🇳🇪 27,202,843
19. Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 23,251,485
20. Mali 🇲🇱 23,293,698
21. Malawi 🇲🇼 20,931,751
22. Zambia 🇿🇲 20,569,737
23. Chad 🇹🇩 18,278,568
24. Senegal 🇸🇳 17,763,163
25. Somalia 🇸🇴 18,143,378
26. Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 16,665,409
27. Guinea 🇬🇳 14,190,612
28. Rwanda 🇷🇼 14,094,683
29. Benin 🇧🇯 13,712,828
30. Tunisia 🇹🇳 12,458,223
31. Burundi 🇧🇮 13,238,559
32. South Sudan 🇸🇸 11,088,796
33. Togo 🇹🇬 9,053,799
34. Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 8,791,092
35. Libya 🇱🇾 6,888,388
36. Congo 🇨🇬 6,106,869
37. Central African Republic 🇨🇫 5,742,315
38. Liberia 🇱🇷 5,418,377
39. Mauritania 🇲🇷 4,862,989
40. Eritrea 🇪🇷 3,748,901
41. Gambia 🇬🇲 2,773,168
42. Botswana 🇧🇼 2,675,352
43. Namibia 🇳🇦 2,604,172
44. Gabon 🇬🇦 2,436,566
45. Lesotho 🇱🇸 2,330,318
46. Guinea- Bissau 🇬🇼 2,150,842
47. Equatorial Guinea 🇬🇳 1,714,671
48. Mauritius 🇲🇺 1,300,557
49. Eswatini 🇸🇿 1,210,822
50. Djibouti 🇩🇯 1,136,455
51. Réunion 🇷🇪 981,796
52. Comoros 🇰🇲 852,075
53. Cabo Verde 🇨🇻 598,682
54. Western Sahara 🇪🇭 587,259
55. Mayotte 🇲🇫 335,995
56. Sao Tome & Principe 🇸🇹 231,856
57. Seychelles 🇸🇨 107,660
58. Saint Helena 🇦🇮 5,314
