Africa is the second largest continent, covering about one-fifth of the total land surface of Earth. There are 54 countries in Africa today, according to the United Nations. This is a list of the current African countries sorted by population, also sorted by normalized demographic projections from the most recently available census or demographic data. Across the continent and its islands, the areas of Africa’s countries vary significantly.
The full list is shown in the table below, with current population and subregion (based on the United Nations official statistics). Not included in this total of "countries" and listed separately are: Dependencies (or dependent territories, dependent areas, dependencies) and Areas of Special Sovereignty (autonomous territories)
African Countries by Population (2025 Projections)
Here are the African countries listed by projected population for 2025, along with their respective subregions:
Africa - A Journey Through Nature & Tradition | Documentary | Continents of the World Ep. 1
| # | Country | Population 2025 | Subregion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 237,527,782 | Western Africa |
| 2 | Ethiopia | 135,472,051 | Eastern Africa |
| 3 | Egypt | 118,365,995 | Northern Africa |
| 4 | DR Congo | 112,832,473 | Middle Africa |
| 5 | Tanzania | 70,545,865 | Eastern Africa |
| 6 | South Africa | 64,747,319 | Southern Africa |
| 7 | Kenya | 57,532,493 | Eastern Africa |
| 8 | Sudan | 51,662,147 | Northern Africa |
| 9 | Uganda | 51,384,894 | Eastern Africa |
| 10 | Algeria | 47,435,312 | Northern Africa |
| 11 | Angola | 39,040,039 | Middle Africa |
| 12 | Morocco | 38,430,770 | Northern Africa |
| 13 | Mozambique | 35,631,653 | Eastern Africa |
| 14 | Ghana | 35,064,272 | Western Africa |
| 15 | Madagascar | 32,740,678 | Eastern Africa |
| 16 | Côte d'Ivoire | 32,711,547 | Western Africa |
| 17 | Cameroon | 29,879,337 | Middle Africa |
| 18 | Niger | 27,917,831 | Western Africa |
| 19 | Mali | 25,198,821 | Western Africa |
| 20 | Burkina Faso | 24,074,580 | Western Africa |
| 21 | Malawi | 22,216,120 | Eastern Africa |
| 22 | Zambia | 21,913,874 | Eastern Africa |
| 23 | Chad | 21,003,705 | Middle Africa |
| 24 | Somalia | 19,654,739 | Eastern Africa |
| 25 | Senegal | 18,931,966 | Western Africa |
| 26 | Zimbabwe | 16,950,795 | Eastern Africa |
| 27 | Guinea | 15,099,727 | Western Africa |
| 28 | Benin | 14,814,460 | Western Africa |
| 29 | Rwanda | 14,569,341 | Eastern Africa |
| 30 | Burundi | 14,390,003 | Eastern Africa |
| 31 | Tunisia | 12,348,573 | Northern Africa |
| 32 | South Sudan | 12,188,788 | Eastern Africa |
| 33 | Togo | 9,721,608 | Western Africa |
| 34 | Sierra Leone | 8,819,794 | Western Africa |
| 35 | Libya | 7,458,555 | Northern Africa |
| 36 | Congo | 6,484,437 | Middle Africa |
| 37 | Liberia | 5,731,206 | Western Africa |
| 38 | Central African Republic | 5,513,282 | Middle Africa |
| 39 | Mauritania | 5,315,065 | Western Africa |
| 40 | Eritrea | 3,607,003 | Eastern Africa |
| 41 | Namibia | 3,092,816 | Southern Africa |
| 42 | Gambia | 2,822,093 | Western Africa |
| 43 | Gabon | 2,593,130 | Middle Africa |
| 44 | Botswana | 2,562,122 | Southern Africa |
| 45 | Lesotho | 2,363,325 | Southern Africa |
| 46 | Guinea-Bissau | 2,249,515 | Western Africa |
| 47 | Equatorial Guinea | 1,938,431 | Middle Africa |
| 48 | Mauritius | 1,268,280 | Eastern Africa |
| 49 | Eswatini | 1,256,174 | Southern Africa |
| 50 | Djibouti | 1,184,076 | Eastern Africa |
| 51 | Comoros | 882,847 | Eastern Africa |
| 52 | Cabo Verde | 527,326 | Western Africa |
| 53 | Sao Tome & Principe | 240,254 | Middle Africa |
| 54 | Seychelles | 132,779 | Eastern Africa |
African Countries by Area
Across the continent and its islands, the areas of Africa’s countries vary significantly. Algeria sits at the top of the list with an area of 919,590 square miles (2,381,741 square km). In contrast, the area of the island country of Seychelles is a mere fraction of that, at 172 square miles (446 square km).
Find out in the table below, which lists the countries of Africa by their area.
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| African Country | Total Square Miles | Total Square Km | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Algeria | 919,590 | 2,381,741 |
| 2. | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 905,405 | 2,345,000 |
| 3. | Sudan | 710,689 | 1,840,687 |
| 4. | Libya | 647,180 | 1,676,198 |
| 5. | Chad | 495,753 | 1,284,000 |
| 6. | Niger | 489,189 | 1,267,000 |
| 7. | Angola | 481,351 | 1,246,700 |
| 8. | Mali | 479,242 | 1,241,238 |
| 9. | South Africa | 471,356 | 1,220,813 |
| 10. | Ethiopia | 432,432 | 1,120,000 |
| 11. | Mauritania | 397,953 | 1,030,700 |
| 12. | Egypt | 384,788 | 996,603 |
| 13. | Tanzania | 365,058 | 945,500 |
| 14. | Nigeria | 356,667 | 923,768 |
| 15. | Namibia | 318,259 | 824,292 |
| 16. | Mozambique | 308,641 | 799,380 |
| 17. | Zambia | 290,583 | 752,612 |
| 18. | South Sudan | 248,775 | 644,329 |
| 19. | Somalia | 246,199 | 637,657 |
| 20. | Central African Republic | 240,323 | 622,436 |
| 21. | Madagascar | 228,531 | 591,896 |
| 22. | Kenya | 224,960 | 582,646 |
| 23. | Botswana | 224,606 | 581,730 |
| 24. | Cameroon | 179,942 | 466,050 |
| 25. | Morocco1 | 161,004 | 417,000 |
| 26. | Zimbabwe | 150,871 | 390,757 |
| 27. | Republic of the Congo | 132,046 | 342,000 |
| 28. | Côte d’Ivoire | 124,503 | 322,462 |
| 29. | Burkina Faso | 104,542 | 270,764 |
| 30. | Gabon | 103,346 | 267,667 |
| 31. | Guinea | 94,925 | 245,857 |
| 32. | Uganda | 93,264 | 241,553 |
| 33. | Ghana | 92,098 | 238,533 |
| 34. | Senegal | 75,951 | 196,712 |
| 35. | Tunisia | 63,170 | 163,610 |
| 36. | Eritrea | 46,757 | 121,100 |
| 37. | Malawi | 45,853 | 118,760 |
| 38. | Benin | 44,310 | 114,763 |
| 39. | Liberia | 37,466 | 97,036 |
| 40. | Sierra Leone | 28,158 | 72,929 |
| 41. | Togo | 21,853 | 56,600 |
| 42. | Guinea-Bissau | 13,948 | 36,125 |
| 43. | Lesotho | 11,720 | 30,355 |
| 44. | Equatorial Guinea | 10,831 | 28,052 |
| 45. | Burundi | 10,747 | 27,834 |
| 46. | Rwanda | 10,169 | 26,338 |
| 47. | Djibouti | 8,880 | 23,000 |
| 48. | Eswatini | 6,704 | 17,364 |
| 49. | The Gambia | 4,127 | 10,689 |
| 50. | Cabo Verde | 1,557 | 4,033 |
| 51. | Mauritius | 775 | 2,007 |
| 52. | Comoros | 719 | 1,861 |
| 53. | Sao Tome and Principe | 386 | 1,001 |
| 54. | Seychelles | 172 | 446 |
Economic Overview of Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a highly diverse region that includes low-, lower-middle-, upper-middle-, and high-income countries. It also includes 20 fragile or conflict-affected countries and 13 small states with small populations, limited human capital, and constrained land area.
According to the latest regional economic update, growth in SSA is projected to rise from 3.3 percent in 2024 to 3.5 percent in 2025 and accelerate to 4.3 percent in 2026-27.
An estimated 120 million Africans currently face acute food insecurity, 80 percent of whom live in conflict-affected countries. About 464 million people in the region were still living in extreme poverty in 2024. Expected per capita growth of 1.8 percent on average in 2025-27 will help reduce poverty only modestly. After peaking at 43.9 percent in 2025, the share of people living on $2.15 per day (2017 PPP) is projected to decline to 43.2 percent by 2027.
Africa can also lay the groundwork for more inclusive growth by investing in its people. Over the next three decades, the region will experience the fastest increase in working-age population of any region, with a net increase of about 740 million people by 2050. Up to 12 million youth will enter the labor market each year, yet only about 3 million new formal wage jobs are currently created annually.
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