54 nations, one continent, wildly different numbers — the top five alone account for roughly 44% of Africa's total population.
Pictured: Nigeria, #1 with 242.4 million people.
| Rank | Country | Population | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 242.4M | West Africa |
| 2 | Ethiopia | 138.9M | East Africa |
| 3 | Egypt | 120.1M | North Africa |
| 4 | DR Congo | 109M | Central Africa |
| 5 | Tanzania | 68M | East Africa |
| 6 | South Africa | 63M | Southern Africa |
| 7 | Kenya | 57M | East Africa |
| 8 | Uganda | 52.8M | East Africa |
| 9 | Sudan | 51.2M | North Africa |
| 10 | Algeria | 48.0M | North Africa |
| 11 | Angola | 40.2M | Central Africa |
| 12 | Morocco | 38.1M | North Africa |
No matching rows.
Africa's most populous country by a wide margin, and projected to become one of the world's three most populous countries by 2050, alongside India and China. It took shape in 1914 when Britain merged its Northern and Southern Protectorates, gained independence in 1960, and today also holds Africa's largest economy, built largely on oil exports.[1]
A landlocked country home to Addis Ababa, and one of the fastest-growing populations on the continent. It's also the only African nation never colonized by a European power, having defeated an invading Italian army at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.[1]
Around 95% of Egypt's land is desert, so nearly the entire population is concentrated along the Nile River and its delta — one of the most densely settled river valleys on Earth. Its capital, Cairo, is the largest city in both Africa and the Middle East, home to more than 9 million people.[1]
A vast country roughly the size of Western Europe. Its rapid growth is driven partly by one of the highest fertility rates of any country in the world.[1]
Home to Mount Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti, and one of the fastest-growing populations in East Africa. The country itself formed in 1964, when mainland Tanganyika united with the islands of Zanzibar, combining parts of their names to create "Tanzania."[1]
Uniquely governed from three different capitals — Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein — and home to 11 official languages, more than any other country in the world. The 1886 discovery of gold near present-day Johannesburg built the country's economy into the continent's most developed, with mines that would eventually reach depths of more than two miles.[1]
Home to the Maasai Mara and one of the few national capitals in the world with a national park inside its city limits. Kenyan runners have dominated world distance running for decades.[1]
Nicknamed "the Pearl of Africa," a phrase popularized by Winston Churchill. It sits at the source of the White Nile and is home to more than half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas.[1]
Home to more pyramids than Egypt — the Nubian pyramids at Meroë. Sudan was Africa's largest country by area until South Sudan split off in 2011.[1]
Now Africa's largest country by land area following Sudan's split, with more than 90% of its territory covered by the Sahara Desert. It won that status only after an eight-year war of independence against France, from 1954 to 1962, one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts of Africa's decolonization era.[1]