Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
Demographics of Africa - statistics & facts
Since the beginning of the 20th century, Africa was the third largest population in the world. After the 1950s, the population of the world registered significant increases. The same can be seen in the African continent and in 1995, the people living on the continent outnumbered Europe for the first time, becoming the second most populous continent in the world after Asia. In 2023, just over 1.48 billion inhabitants called the African continent home. The annual growth rate of the population has constantly been above 2.3 percent from 2000 onwards. While the growth rate has been declining in recent years, the population continues to increase. The continent would reach nearly 2.5 billion inhabitants by 2050. Rapid population growth, high fertility rates, low median age, increasing life expectancy, large households, and widespread poverty are the main features of Africa's demographics.
What are the most populous countries in Africa?
With over 235 million inhabitants, Nigeria was the most populous country in Africa in 2025. It was followed by Ethiopia (around 135 million), Egypt (close to 118 million), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (approximately 113 million). Nigeria’s population is forecast to exceed 375 million people by 2050, climbing the ranking of the most populous countries in the world. In general, African nations are among the 20 fastest-growing populations worldwide. The population of South Sudan registered a growth of 4.65 percent in 2024, followed by Niger at 3.66 percent. High fertility is one of the reasons that led to population growth. Africa has the highest fertility rate in the world, set at an average of around four children per woman.What is the median age in Africa?
In 2024, Africa had a very low median age of around 19 years, meaning that half of the population was older and half was younger than that age. At the same time, the continent registered the lowest life expectancy at birth worldwide as of the same year, with men living 62 years and women 66 years, on average. Longevity in Africa is hindered by poor healthcare, which concerns the majority of the population. Respiratory infections and malaria are, in fact, the leading causes of death on the continent. Overall, the low life expectancy at birth and the high fertility rate explain why Africa's population is particularly young.How poor is Africa’s population?
In 2024, around 430 million people in Africa were extremely poor, living on less than 2.15 U.S. dollars per day. Extreme poverty is particularly widespread in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the African countries hosting the largest shares of the global poor population. Estimates made in December 2020 showed that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic could have pushed additional millions of people into poverty between 2020 and 2022. Nevertheless, poverty levels in Africa are forecast to decline drastically. The share of extremely poor would reach 1.7 percent between 2056 and 2065, compared to around 35 percent from 2016 to 2025. Declining poverty, together with improved health conditions, would increase life expectancy and reduce mortality on the continent.
