Continent · Africa
Africa Population 2026
Total population
1,548,778,713
58
countries
18.7%
of world population
29.9M
km² land area
Every rate on this page is weighted by country population rather than averaged flat, so small states do not count the same as large ones. Coverage varies by indicator: each is computed across the countries in Africa that publish it, and 58 of 58 publish a population figure at all.
Key figures
Population-weighted across every country in the continent that publishes the indicator.
Largest Countries in Africa
By total population.
| Name | Population |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 237.5M |
| Ethiopia | 135.5M |
| Egypt | 118.4M |
| DR Congo | 112.8M |
| Tanzania | 70.5M |
| South Africa | 64.7M |
| Kenya | 57.5M |
| Sudan | 51.7M |
| Uganda | 51.4M |
| Algeria | 47.4M |
Population Distribution
How Africa's population splits between its largest countries.
Fastest Growing Countries
Highest annual population growth in Africa.
- Mayotte+3.77%
- Chad+3.41%
- Central African Republic+3.37%
- Somalia+3.34%
- Niger+3.22%
- DR Congo+3.20%
- Angola+3.00%
- Mali+2.90%
- Tanzania+2.86%
- Mozambique+2.85%
| Name | Annual growth |
|---|---|
| Mayotte | +3.77% |
| Chad | +3.41% |
| Central African Republic | +3.37% |
| Somalia | +3.34% |
| Niger | +3.22% |
| DR Congo | +3.20% |
| Angola | +3.00% |
| Mali | +2.90% |
| Tanzania | +2.86% |
| Mozambique | +2.85% |
All Countries in Africa
All countries58 countries and territories, largest first.
| # | Country | Population | Share | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 237,527,782 | 15.3% | +2.06% |
| 2 | Ethiopia | 135,472,051 | 8.7% | +2.55% |
| 3 | Egypt | 118,365,995 | 7.6% | +1.56% |
| 4 | DR Congo | 112,832,473 | 7.3% | +3.20% |
| 5 | Tanzania | 70,545,865 | 4.6% | +2.86% |
| 6 | South Africa | 64,747,319 | 4.2% | +1.15% |
| 7 | Kenya | 57,532,493 | 3.7% | +1.93% |
| 8 | Sudan | 51,662,147 | 3.3% | +2.38% |
| 9 | Uganda | 51,384,894 | 3.3% | +2.70% |
| 10 | Algeria | 47,435,312 | 3.1% | +1.32% |
| 11 | Angola | 39,040,039 | 2.5% | +3.00% |
| 12 | Morocco | 38,430,770 | 2.5% | +0.91% |
| 13 | Mozambique | 35,631,653 | 2.3% | +2.85% |
| 14 | Ghana | 35,064,272 | 2.3% | +1.83% |
| 15 | Madagascar | 32,740,678 | 2.1% | +2.40% |
| 16 | Ivory Coast | 32,711,547 | 2.1% | +2.41% |
| 17 | Cameroon | 29,879,337 | 1.9% | +2.56% |
| 18 | Niger | 27,917,831 | 1.8% | +3.22% |
| 19 | Mali | 25,198,821 | 1.6% | +2.90% |
| 20 | Burkina Faso | 24,074,580 | 1.6% | +2.21% |
| 21 | Malawi | 22,216,120 | 1.4% | +2.56% |
| 22 | Zambia | 21,913,874 | 1.4% | +2.77% |
| 23 | Chad | 21,003,705 | 1.4% | +3.41% |
| 24 | Somalia | 19,654,739 | 1.3% | +3.34% |
| 25 | Senegal | 18,931,966 | 1.2% | +2.30% |
| 26 | Zimbabwe | 16,950,795 | 1.1% | +1.88% |
| 27 | Guinea | 15,099,727 | 1.0% | +2.31% |
| 28 | Benin | 14,814,460 | 1.0% | +2.40% |
| 29 | Rwanda | 14,569,341 | 0.9% | +2.17% |
| 30 | Burundi | 14,390,003 | 0.9% | +2.41% |
| 31 | Tunisia | 12,348,573 | 0.8% | +0.58% |
| 32 | South Sudan | 12,188,788 | 0.8% | +2.03% |
| 33 | Sierra Leone | 8,819,794 | 0.6% | +2.04% |
| 34 | Togo | 8,591,626 | 0.6% | +2.18% |
| 35 | Libya | 7,458,555 | 0.5% | +1.05% |
| 36 | Congo | 6,484,437 | 0.4% | +2.36% |
| 37 | Liberia | 5,731,206 | 0.4% | +2.09% |
| 38 | Central African Republic | 5,513,282 | 0.4% | +3.37% |
| 39 | Mauritania | 5,315,065 | 0.3% | +2.78% |
| 40 | Eritrea | 3,607,003 | 0.2% | +2.00% |
| 41 | Namibia | 3,092,816 | 0.2% | +2.05% |
| 42 | Gambia | 2,822,093 | 0.2% | +2.23% |
| 43 | Gabon | 2,593,130 | 0.2% | +2.11% |
| 44 | Botswana | 2,562,122 | 0.2% | +1.61% |
| 45 | Lesotho | 2,363,325 | 0.2% | +1.10% |
| 46 | Guinea-Bissau | 2,249,515 | 0.1% | +2.16% |
| 47 | Equatorial Guinea | 1,938,431 | 0.1% | +2.40% |
| 48 | Eswatini | 1,256,174 | 0.1% | +1.07% |
| 49 | Mauritius | 1,243,741 | 0.1% | −0.16% |
| 50 | Djibouti | 1,184,076 | 0.1% | +1.31% |
| 51 | Réunion | 981,796 | 0.1% | +0.52% |
| 52 | Comoros | 882,847 | 0.1% | +1.85% |
| 53 | Western Sahara | 587,259 | 0.0% | +2.54% |
| 54 | Cape Verde | 527,326 | 0.0% | +0.47% |
| 55 | Mayotte | 326,101 | 0.0% | +3.77% |
| 56 | Sao Tome and Principe | 240,254 | 0.0% | +1.98% |
| 57 | Seychelles | 122,730 | 0.0% | +1.13% |
| 58 | Saint Helena | 6,059 | 0.0% | +0.14% |
Major Cities in Africa
All cities27 metropolitan areas in our dataset, largest first.
| # | City | Country | Metro population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairo | Egypt | 22,183,000 |
| 2 | Kinshasa | DR Congo | 17,071,000 |
| 3 | Lagos | Nigeria | 15,946,000 |
| 4 | Luanda | Angola | 8,952,000 |
| 5 | Dar es Salaam | Tanzania | 7,405,000 |
| 6 | Khartoum | Sudan | 6,160,000 |
| 7 | Johannesburg | South Africa | 6,065,000 |
| 8 | Abidjan | Ivory Coast | 5,616,000 |
| 9 | Alexandria | Egypt | 5,484,000 |
| 10 | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | 5,228,000 |
| 11 | Nairobi | Kenya | 5,119,000 |
| 12 | Cape Town | South Africa | 4,801,000 |
| 13 | Dakar | Senegal | 3,938,000 |
| 14 | Casablanca | Morocco | 3,856,000 |
| 15 | Kampala | Uganda | 3,652,000 |
| 16 | Lusaka | Zambia | 3,181,000 |
| 17 | Durban | South Africa | 3,158,000 |
| 18 | Ouagadougou | Burkina Faso | 3,055,000 |
| 19 | Bamako | Mali | 2,926,000 |
| 20 | Algiers | Algeria | 2,854,000 |
| 21 | Accra | Ghana | 2,557,000 |
| 22 | Tunis | Tunisia | 2,439,000 |
| 23 | Conakry | Guinea | 2,045,000 |
| 24 | Harare | Zimbabwe | 1,558,000 |
| 25 | Niamey | Niger | 1,334,000 |
Africa Population FAQ
- What is the population of Africa in 2026?
- Africa has about 1,548,778,713 people across 58 countries and territories, roughly 18.7% of the world total.
- Which is the largest country in Africa by population?
- Nigeria, with 237,527,782 people.
- What is the largest city in Africa?
- Cairo, Egypt, with a metro population of about 22.2M.
- How fast is Africa's population growing?
- Africa's population is changing by +2.27% a year, weighted by country population. The median age across the continent is 19.7 years.