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List of African countries by population
Top Questions
What is the largest African country by population?
What is the largest African country by population?
What is the smallest African country by population?
What is the smallest African country by population?
Africa is the second most populous continent in the worldâsurpassed only by Asiaâthough the populations of the countries found there can vary greatly. It is home to Nigeria, which has more than 239 million people and routinely ranks among the top 10 most populous countries in the world, but it also has countries with populations of fewer than 250,000 people (Sao Tome and Principe and Seychelles). Where do the populations of Africaâs other countries fall? Find out in the table below, which lists the countries of Africa by the latest population estimates.
| African country | population estimate |
|---|---|
| 1. Nigeria | (2026 est.) 239,430,000 |
| 2. Democratic Republic of the Congo | (2026 est.) 116,452,000 |
| 3. Ethiopia | (2026 est.) 113,806,000 |
| 4. Egypt | (2026 est.) 109,139,000 |
| 5. Tanzania | (2026 est.) 70,551,000 |
| 6. South Africa | (2026 est.) 63,419,000 |
| 7. Kenya | (2026 est.) 54,249,000 |
| 8. Sudan | (2026 est.) 50,272,000 |
| 9. Uganda | (2026 est.) 48,850,000 |
| 10. Algeria | (2026 est.) 48,472,000 |
| 11. Angola | (2026 est.) 37,252,000 |
| 12. Morocco | (2026 est.) 36,694,000 |
| 13. Mozambique | (2026 est.) 34,959,000 |
| 14. CĂ´te dâIvoire | (2026 est.) 34,335,000 |
| 15. Ghana | (2026 est.) 34,215,000 |
| 16. Madagascar | (2026 est.) 32,659,000 |
| 17. Niger | (2026 est.) 29,312,000 |
| 18. Cameroon | (2026 est.) 28,629,000 |
| 19. Mali | (2026 est.) 25,290,000 |
| 20. Burkina Faso | (2026 est.) 24,737,000 |
| 21. Zambia | (2026 est.) 22,445,000 |
| 22. Somalia | (2026 est.) 22,326,000 |
| 23. Malawi | (2026 est.) 21,202,000 |
| 24. Chad | (2026 est.) 20,024,000 |
| 25. Senegal | (2026 est.) 19,575,000 |
| 26. South Sudan | (2026 est.) 16,367,000 |
| 27. Zimbabwe | (2026 est.) 16,176,000 |
| 28. Guinea | (2026 est.) 14,748,000 |
| 29. Rwanda | (2026 est.) 14,418,000 |
| 30. Burundi | (2026 est.) 12,964,000 |
| 31. Benin | (2026 est.) 12,505,000 |
| 32. Tunisia | (2026 est.) 12,135,000 |
| 33. Togo | (2026 est.) 8,782,000 |
| 34. Sierra Leone | (2026 est.) 7,914,000 |
| 35. Libya | (2026 est.) 7,351,000 |
| 36. Central African Republic | (2026 est.) 6,736,000 |
| 37. Republic of the Congo | (2026 est.) 6,302,000 |
| 38. Liberia | (2026 est.) 5,817,000 |
| 39. Mauritania | (2026 est.) 5,311,000 |
| 40. Eritrea | (2026 est.) 3,683,000 |
| 41. Namibia | (2026 est.) 3,281,000 |
| 42. The Gambia | (2026 est.) 2,552,000 |
| 43. Gabon | (2026 est.) 2,548,000 |
| 44. Botswana | (2025 est.) 2,471,000 |
| 45. Lesotho | (2026 est.) 2,149,000 |
| 46. Guinea-Bissau | (2026 est.) 1,890,000 |
| 47. Equatorial Guinea | (2026 est.) 1,787,000 |
| 48. Mauritius | (2026 est.) 1,241,000 |
| 49. Eswatini | (2026 est.) 1,231,000 |
| 50. Djibouti | (2026 est.) 1,108,000 |
| 51. Comoros | (2026 est.) 937,300 |
| 52. Cabo Verde | (2026 est.) 491,200 |
| 53. Sao Tome and Principe | (2026 est.) 213,900 |
| 54. Seychelles | (2026 est.) 123,700 |
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