This is a list of the current 54 African countries sorted bypopulation, also sorted by normalizeddemographic projections from the most recently availablecensus or demographic data. Africa is the fastest growing continent in the world, currently increasing by 2.35% per year as of 2021.[2] Africa is also the continent with the youngest population, as 60% of Africans are 24 years of age or younger.[3] This list also includes the French departmentRéunion, and the partially recognized countrySahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, commonly known asWestern Sahara, which is a member of theAfrican Union.[4]
| Country | % Africa | Population[1] | % growth | Official figure | Official date | Important notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Nigeria | 15.4% | 227,882,945 | 2.12% | 216,783,400 | 21 Mar 2022[5] | |
| 2 |  Ethiopia | 8.7% | 128,691,692 | 2.64% | 107,334,000 | 1 Jul 2023[6] | |
| 3 |  Egypt | 7.7% | 114,535,772 | 1.70% | 102,060,688 | 1 Jul 2021[7] | [a] |
| 4 |  DR Congo | 7.1% | 105,789,731 | 3.31% | 95,370,000 | 1 Jul 2019[8] | |
| 5 |  Tanzania | 4.5% | 66,617,606 | 2.95% | 61,741,120 | 23 Aug 2022[9] | |
| 6 |  South Africa | 4.3% | 63,212,384 | 1.34% | 59,604,992 | 1 Jul 2022[10] | |
| 7 |  Kenya | 3.7% | 55,339,003 | 2.00% | 51,526,000 | 1 Jan 2023[11] | |
| 8 |  Sudan | 3.4% | 50,042,791 | 1.34% | 41,984,500 | 1 Jul 2018[12] | |
| 9 |  Uganda | 3.3% | 48,656,601 | 2.84% | 41,583,600 | 1 Jul 2020[13] | |
| 10 |  Algeria | 3.1% | 46,164,219 | 1.51% | 44,700,000 | 1 Jan 2021[14] | |
| 11 |  Morocco | 2.5% | 37,712,505 | 1.03% | 37,438,314 | 9 Sep 2024[15] | |
| 12 |  Angola | 2.5% | 36,749,906 | 3.13% | 36,604,681 | 19 Sep 2024[16] | |
| 13 |  Ghana | 2.3% | 33,787,914 | 1.93% | 30,832,019 | 27 Jun 2021[17] | |
| 14 |  Mozambique | 2.3% | 33,635,160 | 3.00% | 33,244,414 | 1 Mar 2024[18] | |
| 15 |  Madagascar | 2.1% | 31,195,932 | 2.49% | 27,190,927 | 1 Jun 2020[19] | |
| 16 |  Ivory Coast | 2.1% | 31,165,654 | 2.54% | 29,389,150 | 14 Dec 2021[20] | |
| 17 |  Cameroon | 1.9% | 28,372,687 | 2.68% | 24,348,251 | Jul 1 2019[21] | |
| 18 |  Niger | 1.9% | 26,159,867 | 3.35% | 23,196,000 | 1 Jul 2020[22] | |
| 19 |  Mali | 1.8% | 23,769,127 | 3.02% | 14,528,662 | 4 May 2024[23] | |
| 20 |  Burkina Faso | 1.6% | 23,025,776 | 2.30% | 20,505,155 | 16 Nov 2019[24] | |
| 21 |  Malawi | 1.4% | 21,104,482 | 2.60% | 19,809,511 | 3 Sep 2023[25] | |
| 22 |  Zambia | 1.4% | 20,723,965 | 2.83% | 19,610,769 | 14 Sep 2022[26] | |
| 23 |  Chad | 1.3% | 19,319,064 | 4.68% | 15,775,400 | 1 Jul 2019[27] | |
| 24 |  Somalia | 1.2% | 18,358,615 | 3.13% | 12,316,895 | 4 May 2024[28] | [b] |
| 25 |  Senegal | 1.2% | 18,077,573 | 2.42% | 18,275,743 | 1 Jul 2023[31] | |
| 26 |  Zimbabwe | 1.1% | 16,340,822 | 1.69% | 15,178,979 | 20 Apr 2022[32] | |
| 27 |  Guinea | 1.0% | 14,405,465 | 2.49% | 13,261,638 | Jul 1 2022[33] | |
| 28 |  Benin | 1.0% | 14,111,034 | 2.55% | 12,606,998 | 1 Jul 2023[34] | |
| 29 |  Rwanda | 1.0% | 13,954,471 | 2.22% | 13,246,394 | 15 Aug 2022[35] | |
| 30 |  Burundi | 0.9% | 13,689,450 | 2.77% | 13,097,400 | 1 Jul 2023[36] | |
| 31 |  Tunisia | 0.9% | 12,200,431 | 0.68% | 11,803,588 | 1 Jan 2022[37] | |
| 32 |  South Sudan | 0.8% | 11,483,374 | 4.19% | 13,249,924 | 1 Jul 2020[38] | |
| 33 |  Togo | 0.6% | 9,304,337 | 2.36% | 8,095,498 | 8 Nov 2022[39] | |
| 34 |  Sierra Leone | 0.6% | 8,460,512 | 2.22% | 7,541,641 | 9 Dec 2021[40] | |
| 35 |  Libya | 0.5% | 7,305,659 | 1.13% | 6,931,061 | 1 Jan 2020[41] | |
| 36 |  Republic of the Congo | 0.4% | 6,182,885 | 2.45% | 3,697,490 | 4 May 2024[42] | |
| 37 |  Liberia | 0.4% | 5,493,031 | 2.23% | 4,844,381 | 1 Jul 2023[43] | |
| 38 |  Central African Republic | 0.4% | 5,152,421 | 1.07% | 6,091,097 | 1 Mar 2021[44] | |
| 39 |  Mauritania | 0.3% | 5,022,441 | 3.01% | 4,352,037 | 1 Jul 2022[45] | |
| 40 |  Eritrea | 0.3% | 3,470,390 | 1.79% | 3,815,900 | 1 Jul 2012[46] | |
| 41 |  Namibia | 0.2% | 2,963,095 | 2.54% | 2,641,857 | 1 Jul 2023[47] | |
| 42 |  Gambia | 0.2% | 2,697,845 | 2.33% | 2,417,471 | 1 Jul 2022[48] | |
| 43 |  Gabon | 0.2% | 2,484,789 | 2.22% | 2,349,099 | 1 Jul 2023[49] | |
| 44 |  Botswana | 0.2% | 2,480,244 | 1.65% | 2,346,179 | 18 Mar 2022[50] | |
| 45 |  Lesotho | 0.2% | 2,311,472 | 1.11% | 2,103,600 | 1 Jul 2023[51] | |
| 46 |  Guinea-Bissau | 0.1% | 2,153,339 | 2.27% | 1,781,308 | 1 Jul 2023[52] | |
| 47 |  Equatorial Guinea | 0.1% | 1,847,549 | 2.44% | 1,558,160 | 1 Jul 2022[53] | |
| 48 |  Mauritius | 0.1% | 1,273,588 | -0.20% | 1,261,196 | 31 Dec 2022[54] | |
| 49 |  Eswatini | 0.1% | 1,230,506 | 0.95% | 1,223,362 | 1 Jul 2023[55] | |
| 50 |  Djibouti | 0.1% | 1,152,944 | 1.39% | 1,001,454 | 1 Jul 2021[56] | |
| - |  Réunion | 0.1% | 896,175 | 896,175 | 10 Jan 2024 | ||
| 51 |  Comoros | 0.1% | 850,387 | 1.94% | 758,316 | 15 Dec 2017[57] | |
| - |  Western Sahara(disputed) | 0.04% | 579,729 | 1.93% | 579,000 | 1 Jul 2020[58] | |
| 52 |  Cape Verde | 0.04% | 522,331 | 0.50% | 483,628 | 16 Jun 2021[59] | |
| 53 |  São Tomé and Príncipe | 0.02% | 230,871 | 2.02% | 210,200 | 13 May 2020[60] | |
| 54 |  Seychelles | 0.01% | 127,951 | 1.94% | 100,447 | 22 Apr 2022[61] | |
| Total | 100% | 1,480,770,525 | 2.34% | 1,332,291,870 |