The northernmost region of the African continent was home to approximately 208 million individuals in 2023. Egypt, the third most populous country in Africa, had roughly 50 percent of the region's population living within its borders, with over 105 million inhabitants. Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia followed with 46 million, 37 million, and 12 million citizens, respectively.

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. As of 2025, the country counted over 237.5 million individuals, whereas Ethiopia, which ranked second, has around 135.5 million inhabitants. Egypt registered the largest population in North Africa, reaching nearly 118.4 million people. In terms of inhabitants per square kilometer, Nigeria only ranked seventh, while Mauritius had the highest population density on the whole African continent in 2023. 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.

In 2021, Egypt was the North African country with the highest share of people aged 0-14 years, making up 33.8 percent of the total population. On the contrary, Tunisia presented the lowest percentage of young people in this age group, which constituted 24.2 percent of the total population.

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa (SPPOPTOTLMEA) from 1960 to 2023 about North Africa, Middle East, income, and population.

As of 2022, Cairo was the most populated city in the North African region with over 7.7 million inhabitants. It was followed by Alexandria and Casablanca, with 3.1 million and 2.4 million people, respectively. Egypt is the most populous country in North Africa.

Our Population Density Grid Dataset for Northern Africa offers detailed, grid-based insights into the distribution of population across cities, towns, and rural areas. Free to explore and visualize, this dataset provides an invaluable resource for businesses and researchers looking to understand demographic patterns and optimize their location-based strategies.

By creating an account, you gain access to advanced tools for leveraging this data in geomarketing applications. Perfect for OOH advertising, retail planning, and more, our platform allows you to integrate population insights with your business intelligence, enabling you to make data-driven decisions for your marketing and expansion strategies.

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa (SPPOPTOTLMNA) from 1960 to 2023 about North Africa, Middle East, and population.

Population Growth: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa was 2.05616 % Chg. at Annual Rate in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Population Growth: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa reached a record high of 3.56968 in January of 1990 and a record low of 1.19548 in January of 2021. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Population Growth: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

This statistic illustrates the share of population with access to electricity in North Africa from 1990 to 2014. As of 2014, the share of the North African population with access to electricity was 96,7 percent.

North African Berbers dataset

This is the first genetic anthropology study on Arabs in MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. The present meta-analysis included 100 populations from 36 Arab and non-Arab communities, comprising 16,006 individuals, and evaluates the genetic profile of Arabs using HLA class I (A, B) and class II (DRB1, DQB1) genes. A total of 56 Arab populations comprising 10,283 individuals were selected from several databases, and were compared with 44 Mediterranean, Asian, and sub-Saharan populations. The most frequent alleles in Arabs are A*01, A*02, B*35, B*51, DRB1*03:01, DRB1*07:01, DQB1*02:01, and DQB1*03:01, while DRB1*03:01-DQB1*02:01 and DRB1*07:01-DQB1*02:02 are the most frequent class II haplotypes. Dendrograms, correspondence analyses, genetic distances, and haplotype analysis indicate that Arabs could be stratified into four groups. The first consists of North Africans (Algerians, Tunisians, Moroccans, and Libyans), and the first Arabian Peninsula cluster (Saudis, Kuwaitis, and Yemenis), who appear to be related to Western Mediterraneans, including Iberians; this might be explained for a massive migration into these areas when Sahara underwent a relatively rapid desiccation, starting about 10,000 years BC. The second includes Levantine Arabs (Palestinians, Jordanians, Lebanese, and Syrians), along with Iraqi and Egyptians, who are related to Eastern Mediterraneans. The third comprises Sudanese and Comorians, who tend to cluster with Sub-Saharans. The fourth comprises the second Arabian Peninsula cluster, made up of Omanis, Emiratis, and Bahrainis. It is noteworthy that the two large minorities (Berbers and Kurds) are indigenous (autochthonous), and are not genetically different from “host” and neighboring populations. In conclusion, this study confirmed high genetic heterogeneity among present-day Arabs, and especially those of the Arabian Peninsula.

This statistic shows the 10 countries in Middle East-North Africa with the largest number of Christians in 2010. 4.29 million Christians lived in Egypt.

Libya had the largest population of concern in North Africa in 2020. The country hosted around 928 thousand people in need, including refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, stateless, or people at risk of statelessness. Egypt followed with a population of concern of 259 thousand individuals. On the other hand, Tunisia hosted the lowest number, approximately six thousand.

Population, Total: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa was 508311359.00000 Persons in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Population, Total: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa reached a record high of 508311359.00000 in January of 2023 and a record low of 105203230.00000 in January of 1960. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Population, Total: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Population Ages 0 to 14 for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa was 30.53353 % of Total in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Population Ages 0 to 14 for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa reached a record high of 44.85280 in January of 1967 and a record low of 30.53353 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Population Ages 0 to 14 for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Population Ages 15 to 64 for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa (SPPOP1564TOZSMNA) from 1960 to 2023 about North Africa, Middle East, 15 to 64 years, and population.

Population Ages 0 to 14: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa was 29.46190 % of Total in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Population Ages 0 to 14: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa reached a record high of 44.52376 in January of 1967 and a record low of 29.46190 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Population Ages 0 to 14: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Population ages 65 and above for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa (SPPOP65UPTOZSMNA) from 1960 to 2023 about North Africa, Middle East, 65-years +, and population.

This line chart displays population (people) by date using the aggregation sum in Northern Africa. The data is about countries per year.

In 2019, international migrants constituted 1.3 percent of the total population of North Africa. However, the share varied significantly according to the country. Libya had the largest percentage of international migrants, corresponding to 12 percent of the total inhabitants, which were around 6.78 million. The majority of these originated from Sub-Saharan Africa as of October 2020. Indeed, Libya has become a place of transit from where migrants reach Europe.