All the African countries registered a positive population growth in 2023, except for Seychelles and Mauritius. Niger had the highest population growth rate at nearly 3.7 percent compared to the previous year. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Mali, Somalia, and Angola followed, recording over three percent growth each. The African population has been increasing considerably in the last decades and is expected to nearly double by 2050. This is due to several factors, including the rising life expectancy and the high fertility rates registered on the continent.

In 2021, Niger was the African country with the highest fertility rate. There, each woman had an average of 6.82 children in her reproductive years. Somalia and Chad followed, with a fertility rate of around 6.31 and 6.26 children per woman, respectively. Fertility levels in Africa remain high despite a steady decline The fertility rate in Africa has gradually decreased since 2000 and is projected to decline further in the coming years. Factors including improved socio-economic conditions and educational opportunities, lower infant mortality, and decreasing poverty levels have driven the declining birth rate on the continent. Nevertheless, Africa remains the continent with the highest fertility rate worldwide. Between 2015 and 2021, women in Africa had an average of 4.47 children in their reproductive years. Africa was the only continent registering a fertility rate higher than the global average, which was set at 2.32 children per woman. Worldwide, the continent also had the highest adolescent fertility rate as of 2021, with West and Central Africa leading with 107 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 years. Africa’s population keeps growing According to projections, over 46 million births will be registered in Africa in 2023. Contrary to the declining fertility rate, the absolute number of births on the continent will continue to grow in the coming years to reach around 50.1 million by 2026. In general, Africa’s population – amounting to over 1.39 billion inhabitants as of 2021 – is forecast to increase considerably and achieve almost 2.5 billion in 2050. Countries such as Niger, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea are key drivers of population growth in Africa, registering the highest average population growth rate on the continent between 2020 and 2025. For instance, in that period, Niger’s population was forecast to expand by 3.7 percent each year.