After Asia, Africa is the world’s largest and most populous continent. With an area of 30.2 million square kilometers, it covers 6% of the total surface of the earth and 20.4% of all land area. Its 1.2 billion inhabitants make up 15% of the world’s human population. But in which countries do most Africans live, according to the latest measurements from 2021? You can find out below, in our top ten. Check allunitconverters for list of the world 10 largest countries by area.
- Uganda
The population of Uganda grew from 4.8 million inhabitants in 1950 to 24.3 million inhabitants in 2002. Today the country’s population is estimated at 37,102,000 people.
The Ugandan population is therefore growing steadily and that has everything to do with its youthfulness. With an average age of just fifteen years, the Ugandan population has the second highest fertility rate in the world. An average of 6.65 children are born per woman.
Uganda has thus become home to many different ethnic groups (Baganda, Banyakole Basoga, Bakiga…), none of which form a majority.
- Sudan
The official 2008 survey established that the population of North, West and East Sudan exceeds 30 million. According to the figures for 2020, that has now become 42,268,269. Although Sudan generates many refugees, a significant portion of this population is made up of refugees from other countries such as Ethiopia. Furthermore, about 70% of the Sudanese population is Arab and Muslim. Yet the country also houses a great wealth of 597 population groups.
- Algeria
In January 2019, the Algerian population was estimated to be 43 million inhabitants. Most of them are Arab Berbers. About 90% of Algerians live in the northern coastal part of the country.
The inhabitants of the well-known Sahara desert, on the other hand, mainly concentrate in and around oases, although about 1.5 million people remain nomadic or partly nomadic among them. What is striking, however, is the growing role of Algerian women. They make up 70% of all lawyers, 60% of all judges and also dominate medicine and university life.
- Kenya
Kenya has a very diverse population of 47,564,296 inhabitants. Most of the ethnic and linguistic groups from Africa can be found in it. It is estimated that Kenya has some 42 different communities, the majority of which are the Bantus (67%) and the Nilotes (30%). The Kenyans are also very young: 73% of the population is under the age of thirty, which led to a population explosion in the last century.
- South Africa
South Africa is a nation of 58,775,022 inhabitants of diverse origins and with different cultures, languages and religions. Among them are an estimated five million illegal immigrants, including three million Zimbabweans. However, the majority of the South African population is African (79.2%). In addition, whites (8.9%), ‘colored’ (8.9%) and Asians (2.5%) also live there. In addition, South Africa is home to a significant population of refugees, mainly in larger cities such as Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth; but also increasingly in rural areas.
5.Tanzania
According to the 2020 census, the total population of Tanzania contains 59,531,155 heads. 44.6% of them are less than fifteen years old. The distribution of this population is otherwise exceptionally uneven. In dry areas, for example, a population density of one person per square meter is barely reached. In fertile areas, however, this population density rises to 51 persons per square kilometer and even to 134 inhabitants per square kilometer in Zanzibar. More than 80% of Tanzanians live in rural areas.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo has 86 million people, which is not to be confused with the Republic of the Congo (a neighboring country) or the Popular Republic of the Congo (a neighboring country within the neighboring country).
As many as 250 ethnic groups populate this DR Congo. The majority group of them is the Bantu group. Taken together, the remaining 45% of the Congolese population is made up of the Mongo, Luba and Kongo groups and the Mangbetu-Azande peoples. However, the original population of the DR Congo is formed by about 600,000 Pygmies. The melting pot of identities is forged together with hundreds of local languages and dialects. This linguistic diversity is in turn bridged by the widespread use of French and interlanguages such as Congolese, Tshiluba, Swahili and Lingala.
- Egypt
With a population of just over 100 million, Egypt is the most densely populated area in the Middle East. Thanks to medical advances and increasing agricultural activity (made possible by the so-called ‘Green Revolution’), Egypt grew very quickly between 1970 and 2010.
The Egyptian population is highly urbanized and is mainly located along the banks of the Nile (particularly in Cairo and Alexandria), in the Delta or near the Suez Canal. These urban areas determine Egyptian life in such a way that the population falls apart into the urban population on the one hand and the so-called ‘fellahin’ on the other. These are farmers who live and work in rural villages.
- Ethiopia
The population of Ethiopia has grown from 33.5 to 86.6 million inhabitants between 1983 and 2013. Today the country has 112 million inhabitants to be exact. This growth rate makes Ethiopia the fourteenth largest country in the world. The population is expected to exceed 210 million by 2060.
- Nigeria
With a population of just over 200 million people, Nigeria comprises about 18% of all inhabitants on the African continent. One in four Africans is also Nigerian. Between now and 1990, the country had a growth rate of more than 60%. According to the United Nations, this is the largest growth and Nigeria has the highest fertility rate in the world. Nigeria is currently number one and number seven in the top ten most populous countries in the world.