Western and Eastern Africa together represent over 63% (957B) of the continent's total 1.52 billion population

  • Africa’s population in H1 2025 stood at 1.51 billion.
  • Eastern Africa is the most populous region with 500.7M people (33.0%).
  • Western Africa follows with 456.3M (30.1%).
  • Together, Eastern and Western Africa account for over 63% of Africa’s total population.
  • Southern Africa is the least populous with 73.1M (4.8%).

Africa’s population reached 1.52 billion in the first half of 2025, with a striking distribution range across its five regions. Eastern Africa leads as the most populous region with 500.7 million people (33.0%), followed by Western Africa with 456.3 million (30.1%). Combined, these two regions account for more than 63% of the continent’s entire population, highlighting their demographic weight and influence.

Northern Africa holds 272.1 million people (18.0%), while Central Africa has 212.9 million (14.1%). Southern Africa is the least populous, with 73.1 million residents, making up just 4.8% of Africa’s total population. These differences reveal not only where most Africans live but also hint at where demographic pressures and opportunities could be most pronounced in the coming decades.

Source:

Worldometer

Period:

June 2025
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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.
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