African Countries by Population (2026)

Click on each country to view current estimates (live population clock), historical data, list of countries, and projected figures.

#	Country or other entity	Population (2026)	Yearly Change	Net Change	Density (P/km²)	Land Area (km²)	Migrants (net)	Fert. Rate	Median Age	Urban Pop %	World Share
1	Nigeria	242,431,832	+2.06%	4,904,050	266	910,768	−2,810	4.20	18.3	64.6%	2.9%
2	Ethiopia	138,902,185	+2.53%	3,430,134	127	1,096,570	27,298	3.72	19.3	24.6%	1.7%
3	Egypt	120,101,175	+1.47%	1,735,181	121	995,450	−52,287	2.68	24.7	43.0%	1.4%
4	Democratic Republic of the Congo	116,452,162	+3.21%	3,619,689	51	2,267,048	−28,843	5.80	15.9	45.5%	1.4%
5	Tanzania	72,563,780	+2.86%	2,017,915	82	885,800	−25,275	4.41	17.6	37.6%	0.87%
6	South Africa	65,453,084	+1.09%	705,765	54	1,214,470	131,684	2.17	28.9	64.0%	0.79%
7	Kenya	58,636,412	+1.92%	1,103,920	103	569,140	−34,838	3.07	20.3	32.6%^[1]	0.71%
8	Sudan	53,282,719	+3.14%	1,620,571	31	1,731,671	252,038	4.13	18.8	35.0%^[2]	0.64%
9	Uganda	52,761,470	+2.68%	1,376,576	268	197,100	−121,799	3.97	17.1	32.6%^[3]	0.64%
10	Algeria	48,028,334	+1.25%	593,022	20	2,381,740	−28,841	2.62	28.8	76.4%	0.58%
11	Angola	40,215,180	+3.01%	1,175,141	32	1,246,700	−4,270	4.89	16.7	72.3%	0.48%
12	Morocco	38,762,441	+0.86%	331,671	87	446,300	−60,886	2.16	30.1	63.5%	0.47%
13	Mozambique	36,639,850	+2.83%	1,008,197	47	786,380	−55,988	4.54	16.6	38.0%	0.44%
14	Ghana	35,697,557	+1.81%	633,285	157	227,533	−24,195	3.26	21.6	59.5%	0.43%
15	Madagascar	33,522,052	+2.39%	781,374	58	581,540	−2,665	3.78	19.4	33.4%^[4]	0.40%
16	Côte d'Ivoire	33,494,346	+2.39%	782,799	105	318,003	6,535	4.10	18.5	55.1%^[5]	0.40%
17	Cameroon	30,640,817	+2.55%	761,480	65	472,710	−18,922	4.12	18.2	55.9%^[6]	0.37%
18	Niger	28,814,878	+3.21%	897,047	23	1,266,700	−10,620	5.64	15.7	18.7%^[7]	0.35%
19	Mali	25,932,275	+2.91%	733,454	21	1,220,190	−52,609	5.33	15.9	32.8%	0.31%
20	Burkina Faso	24,601,700	+2.19%	527,120	90	273,800	−28,309	3.91	18.0	29.5%^[8]	0.30%
21	Malawi	22,785,535	+2.56%	569,415	242	94,080	1,348	3.45	18.4	18.0%	0.27%
22	Zambia	22,521,915	+2.77%	608,041	30	743,398	6,939	3.91	18.2	46.4%	0.27%
23	Chad	21,560,380	+2.65%	556,675	17	1,259,200	−112,304	5.84	15.7	28.2%^[9]	0.26%
24	Somalia	20,305,907	+3.31%	651,168	32	627,337	15,364	5.80	15.6	55.6%	0.24%
25	Senegal	19,366,548	+2.30%	434,582	101	192,530	−13,429	3.66	19.8	56.3%	0.23%
26	Zimbabwe	17,273,580	+1.90%	322,785	45	386,847	−54,620	3.57	18.3	41.1%	0.21%
27	Guinea	15,441,992	+2.27%	342,265	63	245,717	−19,725	3.96	18.5	39.0%	0.19%
28	Benin	15,170,420	+2.40%	355,960	137	110,622	−6,318	4.34	18.2	54.2%^[10]	0.18%
29	Rwanda	14,889,693	+2.20%	320,353	604	24,668	−7,003	3.54	20.2	31.9%	0.18%
30	Burundi	14,729,157	+2.36%	339,155	574	25,680	−35,108	4.57	16.6	26.5%	0.18%
31	South Sudan	12,436,037	+2.03%	247,249	19	644,329	7,974	3.63	19.0	22.0%^[11]	0.15%
32	Tunisia	12,415,138	+0.54%	66,565	80	155,360	−14,794	1.79	33.4	71.1%	0.15%
33	Togo	9,930,918	+2.15%	209,310	183	54,385	−12,642	4.01	19.2	45.0%	0.12%
34	Sierra Leone	8,996,744	+2.01%	176,950	126	71,620	−12,277	3.53	19.9	46.5%^[12]	0.11%
35	Libya	7,539,852	+1.09%	81,298	4	1,759,540	2,610	2.21	28.0	87.9%	0.09%
36	Republic of the Congo	6,637,786	+2.36%	153,349	19	341,500	−3,298	3.99	18.7	64.4%	0.08%
37	Liberia	5,853,949	+2.14%	122,743	61	96,320	−1,051	3.71	19.0	56.6%^[13]	0.07%
38	Central African Republic	5,698,984	+3.37%	185,702	9	622,984	−15,608	5.69	14.6	45.0%	0.07%
39	Mauritania	5,461,319	+2.75%	146,254	5	1,030,700	−5,842	4.48	17.5	62.4%	0.07%
40	Eritrea	3,682,669	+2.10%	75,666	36	101,000	−7,520	3.55	19.5	34.6%	0.04%
41	Namibia	3,153,246	+1.95%	60,430	4	823,290	47	3.13	21.5	51.3%	0.04%
42	Gambia	2,884,079	+2.20%	61,986	285	10,120	−2,894	3.70	18.8	65.7%	0.03%
43	Gabon	2,647,400	+2.09%	54,270	10	257,667	1,152	3.49	21.6	92.3%^[14]	0.03%
44	Botswana	2,603,388	+1.61%	41,266	5	566,730	−4,169	2.63	23.7	68.5%^[15]	0.03%
45	Lesotho	2,389,336	+1.10%	26,011	79	30,355	−4,876	2.61	22.1	45.7%	0.03%
46	Guinea-Bissau	2,297,808	+2.15%	48,293	82	28,120	−1,893	3.62	19.6	47.2%	0.03%
47	Equatorial Guinea	1,984,468	+2.37%	46,037	71	28,051	3,533	3.95	20.9	71.8%^[16]	0.02%
48	Eswatini	1,269,859	+1.09%	13,685	74	17,204	−5,493	2.64	22.7	27.2%	0.02%
49	Mauritius	1,265,059	−0.25%	−3,221	623	2,030	−2,679	1.21	38.3	39.1%	0.02%
50	Djibouti	1,199,459	+1.30%	15,383	52	23,180	302	2.54	25.2	73.0%	0.01%
51	Comoros	899,010	+1.83%	16,162	483	1,862	−2,225	3.71	20.7	34.4%	0.01%
52	Réunion	886,298	+0.44%	3,892	353	2,512	−2,079	2.12	38.4	97.3%	0.01%
53	Western Sahara	610,813	+1.65%	9,909	2	266,000	4,689	2.13	32.8	87.0%	0.01%
54	Cabo Verde	529,630	+0.44%	2,304	131	4,033	−1,338	1.49	29.5	78.5%	0.01%
55	Mayotte	347,536	+3.12%	10,525	929	374	−2	4.43	17.3	94.5%^[17]	< 0.01%
56	São Tomé and Príncipe	244,994	+1.97%	4,740	254	964	−691	3.47	19.7	69.5%	< 0.01%
57	Seychelles	134,959	+1.64%	2,180	297	455	1,367	2.06	34.6	45.7%^[18]	< 0.01%
58	Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	5,148	−0.94%	−49	13	394	0	1.64	51.0	37.2%	< 0.01%

[1]
Kenya
Urban: Built-up and compact settlements with a population of at least 2,000 people, and some trading centres with fewer than 2,000 people.
[2]
Sudan
Urban: Localities of administrative and/or commercial importance or with 5,000 inhabitants or more.
[3]
Uganda
Urban: Gazetted cities, municipalities, and towns.
[4]
Madagascar
Urban: Centres with 5,000 inhabitants or more.
[5]
Côte d'Ivoire
Urban: Urban and semi-urban localities, and the capitals of urban sub-prefectures.
[6]
Cameroon
Urban: Administrative centres of territorial units (district, sub-division, division or province) or any locality with 5,000 inhabitants or more and with sufficient socio-economic and administrative infrastructures.
[7]
Niger
Urban: Localities serving as administrative centres, namely, the capital city and the administrative centers of regions and departments.
[8]
Burkina Faso
Urban: The administrative centers of the 45 provinces and the 350 communes in the country.
[9]
Chad
Urban: Administrative centres of prefectures, sous-prefectures and administrative posts.
[10]
Benin
Urban: Commune capitals (including former district capitals and urban jurisdictions) with at least 10,000 inhabitants and at least one of the following: post and telecommunications office, treasury/perception office, water system, electricity, health center, or secondary school with a second cycle. Also arrondissements with at least 10,000 inhabitants and at least four of these infrastructure types.
[11]
South Sudan
Urban: Localities of administrative and/or commercial importance or with 5,000 inhabitants or more.
[12]
Sierra Leone
Urban: Towns with 2,000 inhabitants or more.
[13]
Liberia
Urban: Localities with 2,000 inhabitants or more.
[14]
Gabon
Urban: Localities with at least 3,000 inhabitants where the majority of the population is engaged in non-agricultural activities.
[15]
Botswana
Urban: Settlements with a population of at least 5,000 and with 75 percent of those employed engaged in non-agricultural economic activities.
[16]
Equatorial Guinea
Urban: District centres and localities with 300 dwellings or more or with 1,500 inhabitants or more.
[17]
Mayotte
Urban: Communes belonging to an urban unit, meaning a commune or group of communes with a continuous built-up area (no gaps of more than 200 meters between two constructions) and at least 2,000 inhabitants.
[18]
Seychelles
Urban: Greater Victoria agglomeration plus districts with at least 1,500 inhabitants per inhabited square kilometre since 2002.

Source: Worldometer (www.Worldometers.info)

Elaboration of data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2024 Revision . (Medium-fertility variant).

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African Countries by Population (2026)