Demography

Although Africa covers one-fifth of the total world land surface, it is home to only 13 percent of the world population. In 2000 the total population of the continent was estimated at 797 million. The average density, some 27 persons per sq km (69 per sq mi) of land area, is far below the world average of 46 persons per sq km (120 per sq mi). This figure includes the large areas, such as the Sahara and the Kalahari Desert, which are virtually uninhabited. When the population living on arable or productive land is calculated, the average density increases by 15 times. The most densely settled areas of the continent are those along the northern and western coasts; in the Nile, Niger, Congo, and Senegal river basins; and in the eastern African plateau. Nigeria, with an estimated population of 130 million, is the most populous nation in Africa.
 The African birth rate is 38 per 1,000. By contrast, the birth rate in Europe is 10 per 1,000. The spread of medical services since the middle of the 20th century is responsible for a sharp decrease in the death rate, which averages 14 per 1,000. The continent’s population increases annually by 2.4 percent, making it the fastest growing of all the continents. These statistics vary greatly from country to country and from region to region, however. The age distribution is weighted heavily toward the young. In most African countries, about half the population is 15 years of age or younger. It is estimated that Africa will be home to nearly one-fifth of the world’s population by 2050.
 The African population remains predominantly rural, with only a third of the population living in towns of more than 20,000 inhabitants. Northern Africa is the most urbanized region, but major cities are located in every part of the continent. African cities that have populations of more than 1 million include Cairo, Alexandria, and Giza in Egypt; Algiers, Algeria; Casablanca, Morocco; Lagos, Nigeria; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa. The urban centers act as magnets, attracting large numbers of rural migrants who come either as permanent settlers or as short-term workers. Urban growth has been particularly rapid since the 1950s. A substantial international labor migration has also developed, particularly of Africans from central Africa to the mines and factories of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, and of North Africans to France and, more recently, to the countries belonging to the European Union. Civil wars in a number of countries have led to massive refugee migrations, as have droughts and famines.

AFRICA'S POPULATION RANKINGS: DECEMBER 2000

 

Africa

World

 Country

Population

1.

10

Nigeria

123,337,822

2.

15

Egypt

68,359,979

3.

18

Ethiopia

64,117,452

4.

23

Democratic Republic of Congo

51,964,999

5.

26

South Africa

43,421,021

6.

32

Tanzania

35,306,126

7.

33

Sudan

35,079,814

8.

35

Algeria

31,193,917

9.

36

Kenya

30,339,770

10.

37

Morocco

30,122,350

11.

43

Uganda

23,317,560

12.

50

Ghana

19,533,560

13.

53

Mozambique

19,104,696

14.

57

Ivory Coast

15,980,950

15.

59

Madagascar

15,506,472

16.

60

Cameroon

15,421,937

17.

65

Burkina Faso

11,946,065

18.

66

Zimbabwe

11,342,521

19.

68

Mali

10,685,948

20.

70

Malawi

10,385,849

21.

74

Angola

10,145,267

22.

76

Niger

10,075,511

23.

78

Senegal

9,987,494

24.

80

Tunisia

9,593,402

25.

81

Zambia

9,582,418

26.

84

Chad

8,424,504

27.

89

Guinea

7,466,200

28.

91

Somalia

7,253,137

29.

92

Rwanda

7,229,129

30.

96

Benin

6,395,919

31.

99

Burundi

6,054,714

32.

105

Sierra Leone

5,232,624

33.

107

Libya

5,115,450

34.

109

Togo

5,018,502

35.

119

Eritrea

4,135,933

36.

127

C.A Republic

3,512,751

37.

131

Liberia

3,164,156

38.

132

Republic of Congo

2,830,961

39.

134

Mauritania

2,667,859

40.

140

Lesotho

2,143,141

41.

146

Namibia

1,771,327

42.

147

Botswana

1,576,470

43.

149

The Gambia

1,367,124

44.

150

Guinea-Bissau

1,285,715

45.

151

Gabon

1,208,436

46.

152

Mauritius

1,179,368

47.

155

Swaziland

1,083,289

48.

159

Reunion

720,934

49.

163

Comoros

578,400

50.

164

Equatorial Guinea

474,214

51.

166

Djibouti

451,442

52.

172

Cape Verde

401,343

53.

181

Western Sahara

244,943

54.

187

Sao Tome and Principe

159,883

55.

198

Seychelles

79,326


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