Southern Africa contributes only 4.8% to Africa's 1.5 billion population

Key takeaways:

  • Eastern Africa is the most populous region, making up 33.09% of Africa’s total population, with over 507 million people.
  • Together, Eastern and Western Africa house over 63% of Africa’s total population, indicating where much of the continent’s human capital and economic activity will be concentrated.
  • Northern Africa has 274.1 million people (17.89%), while Central Africa has 216.3 million (14.11%), placing them in the mid-range of Africa’s population distribution.
  • Southern Africa is by far the least populous region, contributing just 4.8% (73.6 million people) to Africa’s 1.5 billion total.
  • The population contrast across regions highlights key differences in urbanisation, economic opportunities, and development needs.
  • Understanding Africa’s population distribution is crucial for businesses, policymakers, and investors, as future economic growth, consumer markets, and labour forces will be heavily influenced by these demographic trends.

Africa’s population is estimated to be 1.5 billion by January 2025, with significant regional variations in distribution. Eastern Africa stands out as the most populous region, home to over 507 million people, accounting for 33.09% of the continent’s total population. Western Africa follows with 461.4 million people, making up 30.11% of Africa’s population. These two regions alone house over 63% of the continent’s inhabitants.
On the other hand, Southern Africa contributes just 4.8% (73.6 million people) to Africa’s total population, making it the least populous region.

Source:

United Nations

Period:

2025
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
Twelve African countries have gone at least a decade without completing a new population census
  • Twelve African countries have not completed a census in at least 10 years.
  • DR Congo (42 years) and Somalia (40 years) have Africa's oldest censuses.
  • Guinea-Bissau has completed a new census, while Cameroon and Chad are still counting.
  • Nigeria and DR Congo are preparing new censuses, but fieldwork has not begun.
  • South Sudan's census is disputed, while Eritrea is excluded from the ranking.
Mauritius has almost as many elderly people as children: 97 for every 100
  • Mauritius had 97 elderly people per 100 children in 2025, over 11 times Africa’s median of 8.5.
  • Its ratio increased from fewer than seven in 1960 to 24 in 2000, becoming Africa’s highest in 2009.
  • Seychelles ranked second with 44 elderly people per 100 children, followed by Tunisia with 42.
  • Mauritius’s child share fell from 25.6% to 14.5% between 2000 and 2025, while its elderly share increased from 6.1% to 14.1%.
  • Nigeria’s ratio moved from 6.9 to 7.6 between 2000 and 2025, placing it 38th among 54 countries.
Lagos, Kano, Abuja, and Ibadan are among Africa’s most populous cities with a combined population of 31.3 mn
  • Lagos is Africa’s third-largest city and ranks 14th globally.
  • Cairo remains Africa’s largest city, with over 23 million people, keeping Egypt at the centre of the continent’s urban network.
  • Kinshasa’s position shows Central Africa’s rising urban influence.
  • There is a steep population gap after the top three cities.
3 African cities feature in the 20 most populous cities globally, with a total population of 59.9 million
  • Together, the top three cities — Tokyo, Delhi, and Shanghai — have more than 100 million residents.
  • Asia dominates the ranking, with most of the top ten cities located on the continent.
  • Only three African cities — Cairo, Kinshasa, and Lagos — appear in the top 20.
  • Africa’s three mega-cities together account for nearly 60 million people, showing concentrated urban growth.
  • Urban population growth is driven by migration toward economic and commercial hubs.
Nigeria's age dependency ratio for the young dominates that of the old, on average, at 14:1
  • The young-to-old dependency ratio stands at 14:1, showing that youth dependency overwhelmingly drives the total ratio.
  • The total dependency ratio declined from 88.2% in 1976 to 78.8% in 2024, showing slow but steady improvement.
  • The youth dependency ratio has dropped from 82.2% to 73.3% over the same period.
  • The old-age dependency ratio remained almost flat, averaging around 5–6% for nearly 50 years.
  • The highest total dependency ratio was 95.0% in 1988.
  • The ratio’s slight downward trend after 2012 reflects a growing working-age population entering the labour market.
Six of the ten countries with the lowest share of older populations are in Africa
  • Qatar has the lowest share of seniors, with only 1.7% of its population aged 65+.
  • The UAE follows closely at 1.8%.
  • Zambia has 2.0% of its population aged 65 and above, totalling about 438,000 people.
  • Uganda, Chad, and the Central African Republic each have a senior population of around 2.1–2.2%, with totals exceeding 1 million seniors.
  • Qatar also has the smallest absolute number of seniors on the list—just 53,000 people.
  • Nigeria has 7.3 million seniors that represent only 3.1% of its population, ranking 25th worldwide.
POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved