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.

Ethiopia Net Official Flows from UN Agencies: SPRP data was reported at 0.234 USD mn in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.076 USD mn for 2021. Ethiopia Net Official Flows from UN Agencies: SPRP data is updated yearly, averaging 0.655 USD mn from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2022, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.076 USD mn in 2021 and a record low of 0.234 USD mn in 2022. Ethiopia Net Official Flows from UN Agencies: SPRP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ethiopia – Table ET.World Bank.WDI: Defense and Official Development Assistance. Net official flows from UN agencies are the net disbursements of total official flows from the UN agencies. Total official flows are the sum of Official Development Assistance (ODA) or official aid and Other Official Flows (OOF) and represent the total disbursements by the official sector at large to the recipient country. Net disbursements are gross disbursements of grants and loans minus repayments of principal on earlier loans. ODA consists of loans made on concessional terms (with a grant element of at least 25 percent, calculated at a rate of discount of 10 percent) and grants made to promote economic development and welfare in countries and territories in the DAC list of ODA recipients. Official aid refers to aid flows from official donors to countries and territories in part II of the DAC list of recipients: more advanced countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the countries of the former Soviet Union, and certain advanced developing countries and territories. Official aid is provided under terms and conditions similar to those for ODA. Part II of the DAC List was abolished in 2005. The collection of data on official aid and other resource flows to Part II countries ended with 2004 data. OOF are transactions by the official sector whose main objective is other than development-motivated, or, if development-motivated, whose grant element is below the 25 per cent threshold which would make them eligible to be recorded as ODA. The main classes of transactions included here are official export credits, official sector equity and portfolio investment, and debt reorganization undertaken by the official sector at nonconcessional terms (irrespective of the nature or the identity of the original creditor). UN agencies are United Nations includes the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), World Food Programme (WFP), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Regular Programme for Technical Assistance (UNTA), United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), WHO-Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP), United Nations Women (UNWOMEN), Covid-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund (UNCOVID), Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDGFUND), Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), WTO-International Trade Centre (WTO-ITC), United National Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Data are in current U.S. dollars.;Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Geographical Distribution of Financial Flows to Developing Countries, Development Co-operation Report, and International Development Statistics database. Data are available online at: https://data-explorer.oecd.org/.;Sum;

Ethiopia Net Official Flows from UN Agencies: CERF data was reported at 26.004 USD mn in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 64.583 USD mn for 2021. Ethiopia Net Official Flows from UN Agencies: CERF data is updated yearly, averaging 29.401 USD mn from Dec 2017 (Median) to 2022, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 64.583 USD mn in 2021 and a record low of 21.110 USD mn in 2019. Ethiopia Net Official Flows from UN Agencies: CERF data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ethiopia – Table ET.World Bank.WDI: Defense and Official Development Assistance. Net official flows from UN agencies are the net disbursements of total official flows from the UN agencies. Total official flows are the sum of Official Development Assistance (ODA) or official aid and Other Official Flows (OOF) and represent the total disbursements by the official sector at large to the recipient country. Net disbursements are gross disbursements of grants and loans minus repayments of principal on earlier loans. ODA consists of loans made on concessional terms (with a grant element of at least 25 percent, calculated at a rate of discount of 10 percent) and grants made to promote economic development and welfare in countries and territories in the DAC list of ODA recipients. Official aid refers to aid flows from official donors to countries and territories in part II of the DAC list of recipients: more advanced countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the countries of the former Soviet Union, and certain advanced developing countries and territories. Official aid is provided under terms and conditions similar to those for ODA. Part II of the DAC List was abolished in 2005. The collection of data on official aid and other resource flows to Part II countries ended with 2004 data. OOF are transactions by the official sector whose main objective is other than development-motivated, or, if development-motivated, whose grant element is below the 25 per cent threshold which would make them eligible to be recorded as ODA. The main classes of transactions included here are official export credits, official sector equity and portfolio investment, and debt reorganization undertaken by the official sector at nonconcessional terms (irrespective of the nature or the identity of the original creditor). UN agencies are United Nations includes the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), World Food Programme (WFP), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Regular Programme for Technical Assistance (UNTA), United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), WHO-Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP), United Nations Women (UNWOMEN), Covid-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund (UNCOVID), Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDGFUND), Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), WTO-International Trade Centre (WTO-ITC), United National Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Data are in current U.S. dollars.;Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Geographical Distribution of Financial Flows to Developing Countries, Development Co-operation Report, and International Development Statistics database. Data are available online at: https://data-explorer.oecd.org/.;Sum;

According to the forecast, Africa's total population would reach nearly 2.5 billion by 2050. In 2023, the continent had around 1.36 billion inhabitants, with Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt as the most populous countries. In the coming years, Africa will experience significant population growth and will close the gap significantly with the Asian population by 2100. Rapid population growth The population of Africa has been increasing annually in recent years, growing from around 818 million to over 1.39 billion between 2000 and 2021, respectively. In the same period, the annual growth rate of the population has been constantly set at roughly 2.5 percent, with a peak of 2.62 percent in 2014. The reasons behind this rapid growth are various. One factor is the high fertility rate registered in African countries. In 2021, a woman in Niger had an average of over 6.8 children in her reproductive years, the highest rate on the continent. High fertility resulted in a large young population and partly compensated for the high mortality rate in Africa, leading to fast-paced population growth. High poverty levels Africa’s population is concerned with widespread poverty. In 2024, over 429 million people on the continent are extremely poor and live with less than 2.15 U.S. dollars per day. Globally, Africa is the continent hosting the highest poverty rate. In 2024, the countries of Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo account for around 21 percent of the world's population living in extreme poverty. Nevertheless, poverty in Africa is forecast to decrease in the coming years.

The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Ethiopia was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 383.3 U.S. dollars (+28.38 percent). After the fourth consecutive increasing year, the GDP per capita is estimated to reach 1,733.72 U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2029. This indicator describes the gross domestic product per capita at current prices. Thereby the gross domestic product was first converted from national currency to U.S. dollars at current exchange prices and then divided by the total population. The gross domestic products is a measure of a country's productivity. It refers to the total value of goods and service produced during a given time period (here a year).Find more key insights for the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in countries like Madagascar, Zambia, and Rwanda.

In 2025, nearly 11.7 percent of the world population in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 2.15 U.S. dollars a day, lived in Nigeria. Moreover, the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounted for around 11.7 percent of the global population in extreme poverty. Other African nations with a large poor population were Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar. Poverty levels remain high despite the forecast decline Poverty is a widespread issue across Africa. Around 429 million people on the continent were living below the extreme poverty line of 2.15 U.S. dollars a day in 2024. Since the continent had approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants, roughly a third of Africa’s population was in extreme poverty that year. Mozambique, Malawi, Central African Republic, and Niger had Africa’s highest extreme poverty rates based on the 2.15 U.S. dollars per day extreme poverty indicator (updated from 1.90 U.S. dollars in September 2022). Although the levels of poverty on the continent are forecast to decrease in the coming years, Africa will remain the poorest region compared to the rest of the world. Prevalence of poverty and malnutrition across Africa Multiple factors are linked to increased poverty. Regions with critical situations of employment, education, health, nutrition, war, and conflict usually have larger poor populations. Consequently, poverty tends to be more prevalent in least-developed and developing countries worldwide. For similar reasons, rural households also face higher poverty levels. In 2024, the extreme poverty rate in Africa stood at around 45 percent among the rural population, compared to seven percent in urban areas. Together with poverty, malnutrition is also widespread in Africa. Limited access to food leads to low health conditions, increasing the poverty risk. At the same time, poverty can determine inadequate nutrition. Almost 38.3 percent of the global undernourished population lived in Africa in 2022.

The earliest point where scientists can make reasonable estimates for the population of global regions is around 10,000 years before the Common Era (or 12,000 years ago). Estimates suggest that Asia has consistently been the most populated continent, and the least populated continent has generally been Oceania (although it was more heavily populated than areas such as North America in very early years). Population growth was very slow, but an increase can be observed between most of the given time periods. There were, however, dips in population due to pandemics, the most notable of these being the impact of plague in Eurasia in the 14th century, and the impact of European contact with the indigenous populations of the Americas after 1492, where it took almost four centuries for the population of Latin America to return to its pre-1500 level. The world's population first reached one billion people in 1803, which also coincided with a spike in population growth, due to the onset of the demographic transition. This wave of growth first spread across the most industrially developed countries in the 19th century, and the correlation between demographic development and industrial or economic maturity continued until today, with Africa being the final major region to begin its transition in the late-1900s.

Kenya's gross domestic expenditure on research & development (GERD) as a share of its GDP was 0.27 percent in 2022. Overall, the share has been the same since 2020. In absolute terms, the country spent 730 million U.S dollars on R&D in 2022.