As of 2023, the total population of Africa was over 1.48 billion. The number of inhabitants on the continent increased annually from 2000 onwards. In comparison, the total population was around 831 million in 2000. According to forecasts, Africa will experience impressive population growth in the coming years and will close the gap with the Asian population by 2100. Over 200 million people in Nigeria Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. In 2025, the country’s population exceeded 237 million people. Ethiopia followed with a population of around 135 million, while Egypt ranked third, accounting for approximately 118 million individuals. Other leading African countries in terms of population were the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya. Additionally, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad recorded the highest population growth rate on the continent in 2023, with the number of residents rising by over 3.08 percent compared to the previous year. On the other hand, the populations of Tunisia and Eswatini registered a growth rate below 0.85 percent, while for Mauritius and Seychelles, it was negative. Drivers for population growth Several factors have driven Africa’s population growth. For instance, the annual number of births on the continent has risen constantly over the years, jumping from nearly 32 million in 2000 to almost 46 million in 2023. Moreover, despite the constant decline in the number of births per woman, the continent’s fertility rate has remained considerably above the global average. Each woman in Africa had an average of over four children throughout her reproductive years as of 2023, compared to a world rate of around two births per woman. At the same time, improved health and living conditions contributed to decreasing mortality rate and increasing life expectancy in recent years, driving population growth.

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 Chad, South Sudan, Somalia, and the Central African Republic, the population increase peaks at over 3.4 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. African cities are also growing at large rates. Indeed, the continent has three megacities and is expected to add four more by 2050. Furthermore, Africa's fastest-growing cities are forecast to be Bujumbura, in Burundi, and Zinder, Nigeria, by 2035.

Historical dataset showing Sub-Saharan Africa population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

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.

Historical dataset showing South Africa population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

The total population in South Africa was estimated at 63.0 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - South Africa Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2024, the population of Africa was projected to grow by 2.27 percent compared to the previous year. The population growth rate on the continent has been constantly over 2.5 percent from 2000 onwards, and it peaked at 2.63 percent in 2013. Despite a slowdown in the growth rate after that, the continent's population will continue to increase significantly in the coming years. The second-largest population worldwide In 2023, the total population of Africa amounted to almost 1.5 billion. The number of inhabitants had grown steadily in the previous decades, rising from approximately 831 million in 2000. Driven by a decreasing mortality rate and a higher life expectancy at birth, the African population was forecast to increase to about 2.5 billion individuals by 2050. Africa is currently the second most populous continent worldwide after Asia. However, forecasts showed that Africa could gradually close the gap and almost reach the size of the Asian population in 2100. By that year, Africa might count 3.8 billion people, compared to 4.6 billion in Asia. The world's youngest continent The median age in Africa corresponded to 19.2 years in 2024. Although the median age has increased in recent years, the continent remains the youngest worldwide. In 2023, roughly 40 percent of the African population was aged 15 years and younger, compared to a global average of 25 percent. Africa recorded not only the highest share of youth but also the smallest elderly population worldwide. As of the same year, only three percent of Africa's population was aged 65 years and older. Africa and Latin America were the only regions below the global average of ten percent. On the continent, Niger, Uganda, and Angola were the countries with the youngest population in 2023.

Description: Data presented as a spreadsheet; Provides Population estimates by population group, gender and age for South Africa since 2002.Linage: The data presented is extracted from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) Mid-year population estimates (MYPE) trends as published on https://www.statssa.gov.za/Publication Date: 15 July 2022Contact person: Elize van der Berg, Department of the Premier, Elize.VanDerBerg@westerncape.gov.za

South Africa Population: Mid Year data was reported at 60,604,992.000 Person in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 59,964,917.000 Person for 2021. South Africa Population: Mid Year data is updated yearly, averaging 52,294,075.000 Person from Jun 2001 (Median) to 2022, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 60,604,992.000 Person in 2022 and a record low of 44,801,352.000 Person in 2001. South Africa Population: Mid Year data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics South Africa. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.G003: Population: Mid Year: by Group, Age and Sex.

Dataset

This dataset was created by Nspaniol

Contents

As of 2022, South Africa's population reached over 60.6 million inhabitants, roughly 460,000 more than in the previous year. Between the reflected period there was annual population increase, despite a slight decrease in 2006.

Historical dataset showing Central African Republic population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) in South Africa was reported at 8.1 % in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

This statistic shows the total population of Sub-Saharan Africa from 2014 to 2024. Sub-Saharan Africa includes all countries south of the Sahara desert. In 2024, the total population of Sub-Saharan Africa amounted to approximately 1.29 billion inhabitants.

Population with Access to Improved Sanitation: % of Total Population data was reported at 71.710 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 70.990 % for 2021. Population with Access to Improved Sanitation: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 63.480 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2022, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 71.710 % in 2022 and a record low of 54.610 % in 2000. Population with Access to Improved Sanitation: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.OECD.GGI: Social: Access to Services: Non OECD Member: Annual.

The current US Census Bureau world population estimate in June 2019 shows that the current global population is 7,577,130,400 people on earth, which far exceeds the world population of 7.2 billion from 2015. Our own estimate based on UN data shows the world's population surpassing 7.7 billion.

China is the most populous country in the world with a population exceeding 1.4 billion. It is one of just two countries with a population of more than 1 billion, with India being the second. As of 2018, India has a population of over 1.355 billion people, and its population growth is expected to continue through at least 2050. By the year 2030, the country of India is expected to become the most populous country in the world. This is because India’s population will grow, while China is projected to see a loss in population.

The next 11 countries that are the most populous in the world each have populations exceeding 100 million. These include the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, Mexico, Japan, Ethiopia, and the Philippines. Of these nations, all are expected to continue to grow except Russia and Japan, which will see their populations drop by 2030 before falling again significantly by 2050.

Many other nations have populations of at least one million, while there are also countries that have just thousands. The smallest population in the world can be found in Vatican City, where only 801 people reside.

In 2018, the world’s population growth rate was 1.12%. Every five years since the 1970s, the population growth rate has continued to fall. The world’s population is expected to continue to grow larger but at a much slower pace. By 2030, the population will exceed 8 billion. In 2040, this number will grow to more than 9 billion. In 2055, the number will rise to over 10 billion, and another billion people won’t be added until near the end of the century. The current annual population growth estimates from the United Nations are in the millions - estimating that over 80 million new lives are added each year.

This population growth will be significantly impacted by nine specific countries which are situated to contribute to the population growth more quickly than other nations. These nations include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the United States of America. Particularly of interest, India is on track to overtake China's position as the most populous country by the year 2030. Additionally, multiple nations within Africa are expected to double their populations before fertility rates begin to slow entirely.

Global life expectancy has also improved in recent years, increasing the overall population life expectancy at birth to just over 70 years of age. The projected global life expectancy is only expected to continue to improve - reaching nearly 77 years of age by the year 2050. Significant factors impacting the data on life expectancy include the projections of the ability to reduce AIDS/HIV impact, as well as reducing the rates of infectious and non-communicable diseases.

Population aging has a massive impact on the ability of the population to maintain what is called a support ratio. One key finding from 2017 is that the majority of the world is going to face considerable growth in the 60 plus age bracket. This will put enormous strain on the younger age groups as the elderly population is becoming so vast without the number of births to maintain a healthy support ratio.

Although the number given above seems very precise, it is important to remember that it is just an estimate. It simply isn't possible to be sure exactly how many people there are on the earth at any one time, and there are conflicting estimates of the global population in 2016.

Some, including the UN, believe that a population of 7 billion was reached in October 2011. Others, including the US Census Bureau and World Bank, believe that the total population of the world reached 7 billion in 2012, around March or April.

Central African Republic CF: Population: Growth data was reported at 1.061 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of -0.275 % for 2022. Central African Republic CF: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.927 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2023, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.186 % in 1993 and a record low of -0.799 % in 2010. Central African Republic CF: Population: Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Central African Republic – Table CF.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.;Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics; (4) United Nations Statistics Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years).;Weighted average;

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of African Population Health & Research Center Inc.

Central African Republic CF: Population: Total: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 2,511,201.000 Person in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,479,741.000 Person for 2022. Central African Republic CF: Population: Total: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 1,569,284.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,511,201.000 Person in 2023 and a record low of 938,852.000 Person in 1960. Central African Republic CF: Population: Total: Aged 15-64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Central African Republic – Table CF.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population between the ages 15 to 64. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.;World Bank staff estimates using the World Bank's total population and age/sex distributions of the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision.;Sum;

Central African Republic CF: Rural Population Growth data was reported at 0.189 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of -1.102 % for 2022. Central African Republic CF: Rural Population Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.070 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2023, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.057 % in 1993 and a record low of -1.142 % in 2010. Central African Republic CF: Rural Population Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Central African Republic – Table CF.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.;World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.;Weighted average;