Lagos, in Nigeria, ranked as the most populated city in Africa as of 2024, with an estimated population of roughly nine million inhabitants living in the city proper. Kinshasa, in Congo, and Cairo, in Egypt, followed with some 7.8 million and 7.7 million dwellers. Among the 15 largest cities in the continent, another two, Kano, and Ibadan, were located in Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa. Population density trends in Africa As of 2022, Africa exhibited a population density of 48.3 individuals per square kilometer. At the beginning of 2000, the population density across the continent has experienced a consistent annual increment. Projections indicated that the average population residing within each square kilometer would rise to approximately 54 by the year 2027. Moreover, Mauritius stood out as the African nation with the most elevated population density, exceeding 640 individuals per square kilometre. Mauritius possesses one of the most compact territories on the continent, a factor that significantly influences its high population density. Urbanization dynamics in Africa The urbanization rate in Africa was anticipated to reach close to 44 percent in 2021. Urbanization across the continent has consistently risen since 2000, with urban areas accommodating 35 percent of the total population. This trajectory is projected to continue its ascent in the years ahead. Nevertheless, the distribution between rural and urban populations shows remarkable diversity throughout the continent. In 2021, Gabon and Libya stood out as Africa’s most urbanized nations, each surpassing 80 percent urbanization. In 2023, Africa's population was estimated to expand by 2.35 percent compared to the preceding year. Since 2000, the population growth rate across the continent has consistently exceeded 2.45 percent, reaching its pinnacle at 2.59 percent between 2012 and 2013. Although the growth rate has experienced a deceleration, Africa's population will persistently grow significantly in the forthcoming years.

The fastest growing city in Africa is Bujumbura, in Burundi. In 2020, this city had an estimated population of about one million. By 2035, the population of Bujumbura could increase by 123 percent and reach roughly 2.3 million people. Zinder, in Niger, had about half million inhabitants in 2020 and, with a growth rate of 118 percent, is Africa's second fastest growing city. In 2035, Zinder could have over one million residents.

As of 2021, the largest city in whole Africa is Lagos, in Nigeria. Other highly populated cities in Africa are Kinshasa, in Congo, Cairo, and Alexandria, both located in Egypt.

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. As of 2024, the country counted over 232.6 million individuals, whereas Ethiopia, which ranked second, has around 132 million inhabitants. Egypt registered the largest population in North Africa, reaching nearly 116 million people. In terms of inhabitants per square kilometer, Nigeria only ranks seventh, while Mauritius has the highest population density on the whole African continent. The fastest-growing world region Africa is the second most populous continent in the world, after Asia. Nevertheless, Africa records the highest growth rate worldwide, with figures rising by over two percent every year. In some countries, such as Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad, the population increase peaks at over three percent. With so many births, Africa is also the youngest continent in the world. However, this coincides with a low life expectancy. African cities on the rise The last decades have seen high urbanization rates in Asia, mainly in China and India. However, African cities are currently growing at larger rates. Indeed, most of the fastest-growing cities in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gwagwalada, in Nigeria, and Kabinda, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ranked first worldwide. By 2035, instead, Africa's fastest-growing cities are forecast to be Bujumbura, in Burundi, and Zinder, Nigeria.

South Africa is the sixth African country with the largest population, counting approximately 60.5 million individuals as of 2021. In 2023, the largest city in South Africa was Cape Town. The capital of Western Cape counted 3.4 million inhabitants, whereas South Africa's second largest city was Durban (eThekwini Municipality), with 3.1 million inhabitants. Note that when observing the number of inhabitants by municipality, Johannesburg is counted as largest city/municipality of South Africa.

From four provinces to nine provinces

Before Nelson Mandela became president in 1994, the country had four provinces, Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Orange Free State, and Transvaal and 10 “homelands” (also called Bantustans). The four larger regions were for the white population while the homelands for its black population. This system was dismantled following the new constitution of South Africa in 1996 and reorganized into nine provinces. Currently, Gauteng is the most populated province with around 15.9 million people residing there, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 11.68 million inhabiting the province. As of 2022, Black African individuals were almost 81 percent of the total population in the country, while colored citizens followed amounting to around 5.34 million.

A diverse population

Although the majority of South Africans are identified as Black, the country’s population is far from homogenous, with different ethnic groups usually residing in the different “homelands”. This can be recognizable through the various languages used to communicate between the household members and externally. IsiZulu was the most common language of the nation with around a quarter of the population using it in- and outside of households. IsiXhosa and Afrikaans ranked second and third with roughly 15 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 26.327 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 26.291 % for 2016. South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 23.218 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.327 % in 2017 and a record low of 18.806 % in 1991. South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted Average;

In 2023, Gabon had the highest urbanization rate in Africa, with over 90 percent of the population living in urban areas. Libya and Djibouti followed at around 82 percent and 79 percent, respectively. On the other hand, many countries on the continent had the majority of the population residing in rural areas. As of 2023, urbanization in Malawi, Rwanda, Niger, and Burundi was below 20 percent. A growing urban population On average, the African urbanization rate stood at approximately 45 percent in 2023. The number of people living in urban areas has been growing steadily since 2000 and is forecast to increase further in the coming years. The urbanization process is being particularly rapid in Burundi, Uganda, Niger, and Tanzania. In these countries, the urban population grew by over 4.2 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. The most populous cities in Africa Africa’s largest city is Lagos in Nigeria, counting around nine million people. It is followed by Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cairo in Egypt, each with over seven million inhabitants. Moreover, other cities on the continent are growing rapidly. The population of Bujumbura in Burundi will increase by 123 percent between 2020 and 2035, registering the highest growth rate on the continent. Other fast-growing cities are Zinder in Niger, Kampala in Uganda, and Kabinda in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

City population size is a crucial measure when trying to understand urban life. Many socio-economic indicators scale superlinearly with city size, whilst some infrastructure indicators scale sublinearly with city size. However, the impact of size also extends beyond the city’s limits. Here, we analyse the scaling behaviour of cities beyond their boundaries by considering the emergence and growth of nearby cities. Based on an urban network from African continental cities, we construct an algorithm to create the region of influence of cities. The number of cities and the population within a region of influence are then analysed in the context of urban scaling. Our results are compared against a random permutation of the network, showing that the observed scaling power of cities to enhance the emergence and growth of cities is not the result of randomness. By altering the radius of influence of cities, we observe three regimes. Large cities tend to be surrounded by many small towns for small distances. For medium distances (above 114 km), large cities are surrounded by many other cities containing large populations. Large cities boost urban emergence and growth (even more than 190 km away), but their scaling power decays with distance.

Nigeria is the African country with the largest population, counting over 230 million people. As of 2024, the largest city in Nigeria was Lagos, which is also the largest city in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of population size. The city counts more than nine million inhabitants, whereas Kano, the second most populous city, registers around 3.6 million inhabitants. Lagos is the main financial, cultural, and educational center in the country. Where Africa’s urban population is booming The metropolitan area of Lagos is also among the largest urban agglomerations in the world. Besides Lagos, another most populated citiy in Africa is Cairo, in Egypt. However, Africa’s urban population is booming in other relatively smaller cities. For instance, the population of Bujumbura, in Burundi, could grow by 123 percent between 2020 and 2035, making it the fastest growing city in Africa and likely in the world. Similarly, Zinder, in Niger, could reach over one million inhabitants by 2035, the second fastest growing city. Demographic urban shift More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. In the next decades, this will increase, especially in Africa and Asia. In 2020, over 80 percent of the population in Northern America was living in urban areas, the highest share in the world. In Africa, the degree of urbanization was about 40 percent, the lowest among all continents. Meeting the needs of a fast-growing population can be a challenge, especially in low-income countries. Therefore, there will be a growing necessity to implement policies to sustainably improve people’s lives in rural and urban areas.

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global smart city platforms market size will be USD 192541.2 million in 2024. It will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.00% from 2024 to 2031.

North America held the major market share for more than 40% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 77016.48 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% from 2024 to 2031.
Europe accounted for a market share of over 30% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 57762.36 million.
Asia Pacific held a market share of around 23% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 44284.48 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.0% from 2024 to 2031.
Latin America had a market share of more than 5% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 9627.06 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4% from 2024 to 2031.
Middle East and Africa had a market share of around 2% of the global revenue and was estimated at a market size of USD 3850.82 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% from 2024 to 2031.
The data management platform is the fastest growing segment of the smart city platforms industry

Market Dynamics of Smart city platforms Market

Key Drivers for Smart city platforms Market

Urbanization and population growth to drive market growth

Urbanization and population growth are key drivers of the Smart City Platforms Market, as they create the need for more efficient urban management solutions. Rapid migration to cities places immense pressure on infrastructure, transportation, energy, and public services. To address these challenges, smart city platforms enable cities to optimize resource allocation, improve traffic management, and enhance public safety through data-driven decision-making. As urban populations grow, the demand for sustainable and scalable solutions increases, leading to investments in technologies like IoT, artificial intelligence, and data analytics. These platforms allow city administrators to manage services in real time, ensuring smoother operations and better living conditions. Furthermore, governments worldwide are supporting smart city initiatives to handle the socio-economic impacts of urbanization, boosting the market's expansion.

Increased demand for efficient public services to boost market growth

The increased demand for efficient public services is a major driver of growth in the Smart City Platforms Market. As urban populations expand, cities face pressure to improve the efficiency and quality of essential services such as transportation, healthcare, energy management, and waste disposal. Smart city platforms provide a solution by integrating various urban services through the use of IoT devices, big data, and real-time analytics. By leveraging these technologies, cities can streamline operations, reduce costs, and respond more effectively to residents' needs. For example, smart traffic systems can alleviate congestion, while intelligent energy grids optimize power consumption. Citizens also expect more responsive and transparent services, pushing governments to adopt smart platforms to enhance service delivery and public engagement. This rising demand for smarter, more efficient services is a key factor driving market growth.

Restraint Factor for the Smart city platforms Market

Data privacy and security concerns to limit market growth

Data privacy and security concerns pose significant challenges to the growth of the Smart City Platforms Market. As these platforms rely on massive amounts of data collected from IoT devices, sensors, and city infrastructure, they become potential targets for cyberattacks and unauthorized access. Breaches in public data can compromise critical systems, including transportation, healthcare, and public safety, leading to severe consequences. Citizens are increasingly concerned about how their personal information is being used and protected, which raises issues around trust and transparency. Furthermore, stringent regulations like GDPR and other regional data protection laws require cities to ensure robust security measures, which can increase implementation costs and complexity. The fear of potential data misuse or leaks can slow down the adoption of smart city technologies, limiting market growth despite their benefits.

Impact of Covid-19 on the ...

In sub-Saharan Africa, rapid population growth, urbanization, increasing incomes, and changing dietary preferences are the main drivers of the rising demand for livestock products, especially fresh milk and derived products. To meet this demand, there is an increasing number of dairy cattle farms in the densely populated coastal zone of Benin, where the country's largest city and commercial capital Cotonou is located. To identify and characterize the peri-urban dairy production systems in this region, 190 cattle keepers were surveyed, using the snowball sampling method, in four municipalities neighboring Cotonou. Information on their socio-economic characteristics, cattle herd sizes, and herd management practices were collected through questionnaire-based face-to-face interviews. Factor analysis of mixed data followed by hierarchical clustering on principal components, implemented in R statistical software, were applied to classify the surveyed farms into homogeneous groups. Results revealed six types of peri-urban dairy cattle farms differing mainly in their cows' breeds, herd sizes, and daily amount of milk produced. Most herds (88%) were owned by urban dwellers, mainly civil servants and traders, who entrusted the management of their cattle to hired professional herders. Irrespective of farm type, cows were of local taurine (65%) or Sahelian zebu (35%) breeds and were exclusively fed on communal natural pasture. Mineral supplementation was provided to the animals on 42% of farms, with significant variation across farm types. About 45% of the farms integrated cattle production with other agricultural activities, including coconut plantations (22%), where cow manure was used as fertilizer. The herd structure was similar across farm types, with average proportions of cows and heifers ranging from 37.6 to 47.5% and from 13.1 to 19.7%, respectively. With significant differences across farm types, the produced milk was either transformed into traditional cheese (32% of farms) or sold raw (85%). Milk and cheese sales represented 84% of the total farm income for three out of the six farm types. In the current context of rapid urbanization, communal grazing lands alone cannot provide sufficient feed to support increased milk production. In addition to improved feeding strategies, herd structure should be balanced in terms of the ratio between milk-producing and non-producing animals.

Abstract

The purpose of the Ageing, Wellbeing and Development Project (Brazza2) was to investigate the impact on poverty and vulnerability within beneficiary households in Brazil and South Africa of grants, social pensions and the like. The survey aimed to help researchers interrogate the extent to which social assistance was enhancing quality of life, and whether income from old-age pensions and other social grants enhanced the material and perceived well-being of social pensioners and members of households.The study also inquired into perceptions of fortune and misfortune, to provide clues to the role of social assistance in boosting poorer households' resilience and their independence from the State.

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

South Africa: the survey covered all members of black households in the rural Eastern Cape and black and colored households in urban Western Cape.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

South Africa: In South Africa, a company called Development Research Africa were commissioned to conduct the data collection. To conduct the sampling for this, they requested a list of EAs from Stats SA that satisfied the following criteria:

1. Predominantly black or colored EAs
2. Predominantly defined (by Stats SA) as urban (formal or informal) in the Western Cape
3. Predominantly defined (by Stats SA) as tribal or semi urban in the Eastern Cape; and
4. Did not contain institutions or farming areas (these EAs were excluded)

These CEAs were sent to DRA in several excel spreadsheets under the following headings for each magisterial district:

1. Geographical areas by population group of head of household for person weighted (African/Black or Colored)
2. Geographical areas by enumeration area type for person weighted (rural: tribal villages, urban: formal or urban: informal)
3. Geographical areas by age for person weighted (56 years and older)
4. Geographical areas for household weighted (which provided the total number of households per CEA).

These data files were collated and then merged into three separate spreadsheets reflecting the respondent categories. All CEAs containing less than eighty households were deleted to further ensure that institutions or farming areas (as well as urban areas in the Eastern Cape) would not become eligible and also to limit the possibility of selecting CEAs with no eligible respondent households. These three databases became the three sample frames used to select the sample.

All the remaining CEAs were sorted in ascending order. A PSS sampling method was used to select the sample. This means that CEAs with a larger number of households have a greater chance of being selected into the sample. The two CEAs directly below the selected EAs were included as possible substitutions. Once the EA numbers were selected the maps were sourced from Stats SA. Only then could one determine the location of these CEAs. Because of the PPS methodology, EAs from smaller magisterial districts fell short of being selected into the sample whilst larger magisterial districts had more than one EA selected. In the Western Cape, the EAs could relatively easily be found on Cape Town street maps.

Twenty clusters or EAs were selected per respondent category. The target per category was about 333 interviews. It follows that about 17 interviews (333/20=17) had to be done per CEA. The desired number of households that need to be approached in a cluster or EA was the segment size. The segment size was dependent on the percentage of households that contain at least one person aged 55 years and over and on the response rate assumed. The segment size for each of the CEAs in the sample was calculated individually. For example, if 33 persons aged 55 or older resided in the CEA with 120 households and assuming a 95% response rate, 59 households would have to be approached (17/(15/120)*0.95) in the CEA in order to obtain 17 successful interviews per CEA. One limitation to the study here was that this formula does not take into consideration the possibility of two or more persons in this age category residing in a household.

Once the maps were acquired from Stats SA, they were verified and updated by the fieldworker through identifying the EA boundaries and by entering any features or changes to the map. The number of households were then counted and divided into segments with approximately equal number of households. One calculates the number of segments by dividing the segment size (described in the previous paragraph) by the actual number of households found and recorded in the EA. Some EAs may have only one segment (if segment size > total number of households in EA) or may have as many as five or six segments. One segment is then randomly selected. All the households in a particular segment were approached and all target households identified and surveyed. Finally, within the households, the person most knowledgeable about how money is spent in the household was selected as the first respondent. Thereafter all individuals 55 years of age and over were interviewed. The fieldworkers had to make three visits per household where the respondents were not available to maximize the possibility that the interview would be completed with the selected respondent. The project manager monitored the number of completed interviews. In instances where it seemed that the overall target of 333 interviews per respondent category area was unlikely, the fieldworkers had to survey the whole EA.

The twenty randomly-selected EAs in the rural Eastern Cape were located in the former Transkei and Ciskei 'homelands' in the magisterial districts of Zwelitsha, Keiskammahoek, Engcobo, Idutywa, Kentani, Libode, Lusikisiki, Mqanduli, Ngquleni, Nqamakwe, Port St Johns, Qumbu, Cofimvaba, Tabankulu, Tsomo, Willowvale and Lady Frere. The twenty randomly-selected EAs in the Cape Town metropole targeting urban black households were located in the magisterial districts of Goodwood, Wynberg, Mitchell's Plain (which includes the sprawling township of Khayelitsha) and Kuils River. The twenty randomly selected EAs targeting urban coloured households were located in the same magisterial districts in Cape Town metropole as those targeting urban black households with the addition of Bellville.

The 2002 sample design prescribed that all households selected in the last stage, in the EA segment, had to be interviewed. As a result, a larger sample size was achieved in 2002 than the originally planned sample of 1000 interviews. A total of 1111 interviews was realised in 2002: 374 in rural black households, 324 in urban black households and 413 in urban coloured households.

Approximately 79% of households included in the 2009 survey were the same ones that participated in the earlier 2002 wave. A significantly higher proportion of rural black (94%) households than urban black (72%) and urban colored (71%) ones were traced. A household that could not be traced was replaced by another older household in the same enumerator area. An estimated 69% of the 4199 household members enumerated in 2002 were traced to 2009. In total, 1286 individuals could not be traced. In this group 18% were reportedly temporarily absent, 55% had moved away permanently, and 27% (or 346 individuals) had died. This paper is based on information supplied by a total of 1059 households in the 2009 survey: 362 rural black households, 299 urban black households, and 398 urban colored households.

Brazil: Note that some of the information on sampling for the following section was taken from a document originally written in Portuguese and translated using Google translate. The original document is available with this dataset and is titled: "Benefícios Não-Contributivos e o Combate à Pobreza de Idosos no Brasil"

The approach taken in Brazil was similar to the one taken in South Africa, as the territorial expansiveness made it difficult to obtain a nationally representative sample of with a relatively small number of households. The alternative was to seek to expand the regional coverage as far as possible within the research budget. Two large regions were selected for field research. The first was the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, in which the population of Rio de Janeiro state is most heavily concentrated. This is one of the most developed states in the country. Four counties were chosen within the metropolitan area. Three neighboring counties, Duke Caxias, Nova Iguaçu and São João de Meriti, were also selected. To represent the elderly population of the poorest regions of the country, a state in the Northeast was selected. Three possibilities were considered: Bahia, Pernambuco and Ceara. These have the the largest populations in the Northeast. The state of Bahia was chosen because of its proximity to Rio de Janeiro (making it more affordable to process the data). Of the major cities of Bahia, Ilheus was chosen as it had a more rural population, which the study aimed to capture.

The sample target was defined at around a thousand households with at least one person aged 60 or over in the household. Aiming to diversifying the population surveyed, the sample was divided into four groups, each with about one fourth of the sample. Thus, the state of Rio de January was half of the sample, and the rest distributed in the three counties in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area. The other half was divided in two, half being in the urban, and the other rural, in the municipality of Ilheus.

To select of households within each municipality the Brazilian 2000 Census data was used. Sectors with low income and high population of elderly, maximizing the probability of finding elderly not receiving contributory benefits, were chosen. The criteria used were:

1. At least

In 2023, Algiers was the city with the largest population in Algeria, with nearly 1.98 million inhabitants. The cities of Boumerdès and Oran followed with around 786,000 and 646,000 people, respectively. Most of the population is concentrated in the cities With an area of over 2.48 million square kilometers, Algeria is the largest country in Africa. Since the territory is predominantly desert, most of the population lives in the coastal areas by the Mediterranean Sea. This explains why the population density remains relatively low at around 18.6 inhabitants per square kilometer, although it is constantly increasing. In addition, due to internal migration from rural areas, as well as population growth, Algerian cities are becoming more populous and the urbanization rate in the country is increasing annually. In 2022, around 75 percent of the population lived in urban areas. Algeria’s population continues to grow Algeria ranks among the most populous countries in Africa, counting nearly 46 million inhabitants as of 2023. The total population has been increasing constantly and registered a growth rate of 1.63 percent in 2022. In the coming years, the population is forecast to reach around 49.6 million by 2029. The relatively high fertility rate, together with the rising life expectancy and declining mortality, would drive population growth in the country.

East Africa is one of the fastest urbanizing areas in the whole continent. From 2000 to 2018, urbanization in the region grew by 4.5 percent. Uganda and Burundi had the fastest urban growth rates, at six and 5.7 percent, respectively. In contrast, Djibouti's urban population expanded by 1.6 percent. Even though, the country was still the most urbanized in East Africa, with a share of close to 78 percent of urban population, in 2018.

As of 2023, South Africa's population increased and counted approximately 62.3 million inhabitants in total, of which the majority inhabited Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western-Eastern Cape. Gauteng (includes Johannesburg) is the smallest province in South Africa, though highly urbanized with a population of over 16 million people according to the estimates. Cape Town, on the other hand, is the largest city in South Africa with nearly 3.43 million inhabitants in the same year, whereas Durban counted 3.12 million citizens. However, looking at cities including municipalities, Johannesburg ranks first. High rate of young population South Africa has a substantial population of young people. In 2024, approximately 34.3 percent of the people were aged 19 years or younger. Those aged 60 or older, on the other hand, made-up over 10 percent of the total population. Distributing South African citizens by marital status, approximately half of the males and females were classified as single in 2021. Furthermore, 29.1 percent of the men were registered as married, whereas nearly 27 percent of the women walked down the aisle. Youth unemployment Youth unemployment fluctuated heavily between 2003 and 2022. In 2003, the unemployment rate stood at 36 percent, followed by a significant increase to 45.5 percent in 2010. However, it fluctuated again and as of 2022, over 51 percent of the youth were registered as unemployed. Furthermore, based on a survey conducted on the worries of South Africans, some 64 percent reported being worried about employment and the job market situation.

As of 2024, South Africa's population increased, counting approximately 63 million inhabitants. Of these, roughly 27.5 million were aged 0-24, while 654,000 people were 80 years or older. Gauteng and Cape Town are the most populated Although South Africa’s yearly population growth has been dropping since 2013, the growth rate still stood above the world average in 2021. That year, the global population increase reached 0.94 percent, while for South Africa, the rise was 1.23 percent. The majority of the people lived in the borders of Gauteng, the smallest of the nine provinces in land area. The number of people residing there amounted to 15.9 million in 2021. Although Western Cape was the third-largest province, one of it cities, Cape Town, had the highest number of inhabitants in the country, at 3.4 million. An underemployed younger population South Africa has a large population under 14, who will be looking for job opportunities in the future. However, the country's labor market has had difficulty integrating these youngsters. Specifically, as of the third quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate reached close to 60 percent and 42.9 percent among people aged 15-24 and 25-34 years, respectively. In the same period, some 25 percent of the individuals between 15 and 24 years were economically active, while the labor force participation rate was higher among people aged 25 to 34, at 71.2 percent.

In 2024, Tunis was the city with the largest population in Tunisia, with around 693,000 inhabitants. The cities of Sfax and Sousse followed with approximately 277,000 and 164,000 people, respectively. Other highly populated areas were Sousse, Kairouan, and Bizerte. Rapid urbanization in Tunisia and across Africa The Tunisian population is mostly concentrated in cities. In recent years, increasingly more people have migrated from rural areas to urban centers. In fact, having undergone rapid socio-economic and infrastructural development, cities generally offer a higher standard of living and more employment opportunities to the population. As a result, the share of people living in urban areas in the country has increased steadily, reaching almost 70 percent in 2021. Tunisia has one of the highest urbanization rates in Africa. On the continent, the most urbanized countries are Gabon and Libya, which record rates above 80 percent. In general, urbanization is increasing rapidly across Africa and is forecast to grow further in the coming years to reach 722 million people by 2026. A slowdown in population growth In 2023, the total population of Tunisia amounted to around 12 million. The number of inhabitants has risen in the last decade and is forecast to keep growing in the coming years, with the country’s population reaching 12.8 million people by 2030 and almost 14 million by 2050. Nevertheless, population growth has generally been declining in Tunisia. Decreasing natality and a high mortality rate are some factors contributing to this slowdown. For instance, the number of births dropped from 226,000 in 2014 to 173,000 in 2020. Moreover, the country has the highest death rate in the Maghreb region after Mauritania.

As of July 2024, Nigeria's population was estimated at around 229.5 million. Between 1965 and 2024, the number of people living in Nigeria increased at an average rate of over two percent. In 2024, the population grew by 2.42 percent compared to the previous year. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. By extension, the African continent records the highest growth rate in the world. Africa's most populous country Nigeria was the most populous country in Africa as of 2023. As of 2022, Lagos held the distinction of being Nigeria's biggest urban center, a status it also retained as the largest city across all of sub-Saharan Africa. The city boasted an excess of 17.5 million residents. Notably, Lagos assumed the pivotal roles of the nation's primary financial hub, cultural epicenter, and educational nucleus. Furthermore, Lagos was one of the largest urban agglomerations in the world. Nigeria's youthful population In Nigeria, a significant 50 percent of the populace is under the age of 19. The most prominent age bracket is constituted by those up to four years old: comprising 8.3 percent of men and eight percent of women as of 2021. Nigeria boasts one of the world's most youthful populations. On a broader scale, both within Africa and internationally, Niger maintains the lowest median age record. Nigeria secures the 20th position in global rankings. Furthermore, the life expectancy in Nigeria is an average of 62 years old. However, this is different between men and women. The main causes of death have been neonatal disorders, malaria, and diarrheal diseases.

In 2023 Moscow was the largest city in Europe with an estimated urban agglomeration of 12.68 million people. The French capital, Paris was the second largest city in 2023 at 11.2 million, followed by the capitals of the United Kingdom and Spain, with London at 9.6 million and Madrid at 6.75 million people. Istanbul, which would otherwise be the largest city in Europe in 2023, is excluded as it is only partially in Europe, with a sizeable part of its population living in Asia. Europe’s population almost 750 million Since 1950, the population of Europe has increased by approximately 200 million people, increasing from 550 million to 750 million in this seventy-year period. Prior to the turn of the millennium, Europe was the second-most populated continent, before it was overtaken by Africa, which saw its population increase from 228 million in 1950, to 817 million by 2000. Asia has consistently had the largest population of the world’s continents and was estimated to have a population of 4.6 billion. Europe’s largest countries Including its territory in Asia, Russia is by far the largest country in the world, with a territory of around 17 million square kilometers, almost double that of the next largest country, Canada. Within Europe, Russia also has the continents largest population at 145 million, followed by Germany at 83 million and the United Kingdom at almost 68 million. By contrast, Europe is also home to various micro-states such as San Marino, which has a population of just 30 thousand.

In 2021, there were around 207 million children aged 0-4 years in Africa. In total, the population aged 17 years and younger amounted to approximately 650 million. In contrast, only approximately 48 million individuals were aged 65 years and older as of the same year. The youngest continent in the world Africa is the continent with the youngest population worldwide. As of 2023, around 40 percent of the population was aged 15 years and younger, compared to a global average of 25 percent. Although the median age on the continent has been increasing annually, it remains low at around 20 years. There are several reasons behind the low median age. One factor is the low life expectancy at birth: On average, the male and female population in Africa live between 61 and 65 years, respectively. In addition, poor healthcare on the continent leads to high mortality, also among children and newborns, while the high fertility rate contributes to lowering the median age. Cross-country demographic differences Africa’s demographic characteristics are not uniform across the continent. The age structure of the population differs significantly from one country to another. For instance, Niger and Uganda have the lowest median age in Africa, at 15.1 and 16.1 years, respectively. Not surprisingly, these countries also register a high crude birth rate. On the other hand, North Africa is the region recording the highest life expectancy at birth, with Algeria leading the ranking in 2023.

As of 2022, South Africa's population increased and counted approximately 60.6 million inhabitants in total, of which the majority (roughly 49.1 million) were Black Africans. Individuals with an Indian or Asian background formed the smallest population group, counting approximately 1.56 million people overall. Looking at the population from a regional perspective, Gauteng (includes Johannesburg) is the smallest province of South Africa, though highly urbanized with a population of nearly 16 million people.

Increase in number of households

The total number of households increased annually between 2002 and 2022. Between this period, the number of households in South Africa grew by approximately 65 percent. Furthermore, households comprising two to three members were more common in urban areas (39.2 percent) than they were in rural areas (30.6 percent). Households with six or more people, on the other hand, amounted to 19.3 percent in rural areas, being roughly twice as common as those in urban areas.

Main sources of income

The majority of the households in South Africa had salaries or grants as a main source of income in 2019. Roughly 10.7 million drew their income from regular wages, whereas 7.9 million households received social grants paid by the government for citizens in need of state support.