Biggest Countries in Africa by Population
Africa is the second most populous continent on the planet, with 1.2 billion people. The population density is about 30 residents per square kilometer, because much of the continent is adverse to human occupation. The Nile Valley has a population density of 500 inhabitants/km2, while deserts and forests are virtually uninhabited. Few African countries have a numerically larger urban population than the Algeria, Libya and Tunisia.
The largest portion of the African population is made up of different black peoples, the most important of which are Bantu, Nilotic, Pygmy, Bushmen. A significant amount of whites live mainly in the northern portion of the continent.
The 10 Most Populated Countries In Africa
With population of 200.9 million, Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa, followed by Egypt (98.8 million), Ethiopia (98.7 million), Democratic Republic of the Congo (86.8 million), South Africa (57.8 million), Tanzania (55.9 million), Kenya (5236 million), Algeria (43.4 million), Sudan (41.6 million), and Uganda (40 million).
Ranking of All African Countries by Population
Among 54 African countries, the most populous country is Nigeria and the least populous one is Seychelles. The full list of countries in Africa is shown in the table below, ranked by latest total population.
| Rank | Country Name | Population | % of African Population |
| 1 | Nigeria | 200,963,599 | 15.79% |
| 2 | Egypt | 98,839,800 | 7.77% |
| 3 | Ethiopia | 98,665,000 | 7.75% |
| 4 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 86,790,567 | 6.82% |
| 5 | South Africa | 57,725,600 | 4.54% |
| 6 | Tanzania | 55,890,747 | 4.39% |
| 7 | Kenya | 52,573,973 | 4.13% |
| 8 | Algeria | 43,378,027 | 3.41% |
| 9 | Sudan | 41,617,956 | 3.27% |
| 10 | Uganda | 40,006,700 | 3.14% |
| 11 | Morocco | 35,053,200 | 2.75% |
| 12 | Ghana | 30,280,811 | 2.38% |
| 13 | Angola | 30,175,553 | 2.37% |
| 14 | Mozambique | 27,909,798 | 2.19% |
| 15 | Côte d’Ivoire | 25,823,071 | 2.03% |
| 16 | Madagascar | 25,263,000 | 1.99% |
| 17 | Cameroon | 24,348,251 | 1.91% |
| 18 | Niger | 22,314,743 | 1.75% |
| 19 | Burkina Faso | 20,870,060 | 1.64% |
| 20 | Mali | 19,973,000 | 1.57% |
| 21 | Malawi | 17,563,749 | 1.38% |
| 22 | Zambia | 17,381,168 | 1.37% |
| 23 | Senegal | 16,209,125 | 1.27% |
| 24 | Chad | 15,692,969 | 1.23% |
| 25 | Somalia | 15,442,905 | 1.21% |
| 26 | Zimbabwe | 15,159,624 | 1.19% |
| 27 | South Sudan | 12,778,250 | 1.00% |
| 28 | Rwanda | 12,374,397 | 0.97% |
| 29 | Guinea | 12,218,357 | 0.96% |
| 30 | Benin | 11,733,059 | 0.92% |
| 31 | Tunisia | 11,551,448 | 0.91% |
| 32 | Burundi | 10,953,317 | 0.86% |
| 33 | Sierra Leone | 7,901,454 | 0.62% |
| 34 | Togo | 7,538,000 | 0.59% |
| 35 | Libya | 6,777,452 | 0.53% |
| 36 | Central African Republic | 5,496,011 | 0.43% |
| 37 | Republic of the Congo | 5,380,508 | 0.42% |
| 38 | Liberia | 4,475,353 | 0.35% |
| 39 | Mauritania | 4,077,347 | 0.32% |
| 40 | Eritrea | 3,497,117 | 0.27% |
| 41 | Namibia | 2,458,936 | 0.19% |
| 42 | Gambia | 2,347,706 | 0.18% |
| 43 | Botswana | 2,338,851 | 0.18% |
| 44 | Gabon | 2,172,579 | 0.17% |
| 45 | Lesotho | 2,007,201 | 0.16% |
| 46 | Guinea-Bissau | 1,604,528 | 0.13% |
| 47 | Eswatini (Swaziland) | 1,367,254 | 0.11% |
| 48 | Equatorial Guinea | 1,358,276 | 0.11% |
| 49 | Mauritius | 1,265,577 | 0.10% |
| 50 | Djibouti | 1,078,373 | 0.08% |
| 51 | Comoros | 873,724 | 0.07% |
| 52 | Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) | 550,483 | 0.04% |
| 53 | Sao Tome and Principe | 201,784 | 0.02% |
| 54 | Seychelles | 96,762 | 0.01% |
Territories in Africa by Population
In addition to independent countries, there are also 4 dependent territories in Africa. See table below for their latest total population and dependencies.
| Rank | Dependent Territory | Population | Territory of |
| 1 | Réunion | 876,562 | France |
| 2 | Western Sahara | 552,628 | NA |
| 3 | Mayotte | 253,045 | France |
| 4 | Saint Helena | 4,049 | U.K. |