Africa has the youngest population in the world. Among the 35 countries with the lowest median age worldwide, only three fall outside the continent. In 2023, the median age in Niger was 15.1 years, the youngest country. This means that at this age point, half of the population was younger and half older. A young population reflects several demographic characteristics of a country. For instance, together with a high population growth, life expectancy in Western Africa is low: this reached 58 years for men and 60 for women in 2024. Overall, Africa has the lowest life expectancy in the world.

Africa’s population is still growing Africa’s population growth can be linked to a high fertility rate, along with a drop in death rates. Despite the fertility rate on the continent following a constant declining trend, it remains far higher compared to all other regions worldwide. It was forecast to reach 4.02 children per woman, compared to a worldwide average of 2.25 children per woman in 2024. Furthermore, the crude death rate in Africa overall dropped, only increasing slightly during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The largest populations on the continent Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the most populous African countries. In 2025, people living in Nigeria amounted to over 237 million, while the number for the three other countries exceeded 100 million each. Of those, the Democratic Republic of Congo sustained the fourth-highest fertility rate in Africa in 2023. Nigeria and Ethiopia also had high rates, with 4.48 and 3.99 births per woman, respectively. Although such a high fertility rate is expected to slow down, it will still impact the population structure, growing younger nations.

List of African countries by median age. Niger average age is 14.8, the youngest African country and the youngest country in the world. The African islands of Seychelles is the oldest African country with an average age of 36.8.

Around *** out of 10 young people in Africa have never traveled within the continent, according to a survey conducted in 2021. Some ** percent of the respondents have already visited at least one African country. Young South Africans were most likely to travel within Africa, while nearly ** percent of respondents in North Africa had not traveled to African countries other than their home country.

In 2023, there were around 211 million children aged 0-4 years in Africa. In total, the population aged 17 years and younger amounted to approximately 680 million. In contrast, only approximately 52 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 2024, around 40 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa 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 populations 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 Tunisia and Algeria leading the ranking in 2025.

List of African countries by median age of the total population and male and female median ages. Niger with an average age of 14.8 years old is the youngest country in Africa and the youngest country in the world.

In 2024, the median age in Africa was **** years, meaning that half of the population was older and half was younger than that age. The median age on the continent increased compared to 2000 when it was around ** years. Africa is the youngest continent in the world and presents the highest share of inhabitants aged 14 years and younger, that is, ** percent of the total population. Niger, Uganda, and Angola were the countries with the youngest population in Africa as of 2023.

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.

license: apache-2.0 tags: - africa - sustainable-development-goals - world-health-organization - development

  Children and young people achieving a minimum proficiency level in reading (%) - Primary education





  Dataset Description

This dataset provides country-level data for the indicator "4.1.1 Children and young people achieving a minimum proficiency level in reading (%) - Primary education" across African nations, sourced from the World Health Organization's… See the full description on the dataset page: https://huggingface.co/datasets/electricsheepafrica/children-and-young-people-achieving-a-minimum-proficiency-le-for-african-countries.

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

South Africa ZA: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young data was reported at 44.137 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 44.469 % for 2016. South Africa ZA: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young data is updated yearly, averaging 69.827 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 78.491 % in 1966 and a record low of 44.137 % in 2017. South Africa ZA: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population: Young 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.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Age dependency ratio, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average;

South Africa Population: Not Economically Active: Too Old or Young to Work data was reported at 1,406.560 Person th in Sep 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,455.947 Person th for Jun 2018. South Africa Population: Not Economically Active: Too Old or Young to Work data is updated quarterly, averaging 1,211.128 Person th from Mar 2008 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 43 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,455.947 Person th in Jun 2018 and a record low of 948.397 Person th in Mar 2008. South Africa Population: Not Economically Active: Too Old or Young to Work 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.G001: Population.

In 2024, Niger recorded the highest crude birth rates in Africa, with 46.6 births recorded per 1,000 inhabitants. Angola, followed with 41.1 births per 1,000 population, whereas the rate in Benin and Mali stood above 40. In Niger, Uganda, Angola, and Mali, the population's median age is under 17 years old. Especially, Niger ranks as the country with the youngest population in Africa and worldwide, with a median age of 15.1 years.

This dataset provides values for CRUDE OIL PRODUCTION reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Distribution of sexually active-unmarried young men (15–24) who tested for HIV in the last 12 months preceding the DHS in SSA countries (2015–2020).

This dataset provides values for RETIREMENT AGE WOMEN reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

South Africa ZA: Share of Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training: Male: % of Male Youth Population data was reported at 28.570 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 28.590 % for 2016. South Africa ZA: Share of Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training: Male: % of Male Youth Population data is updated yearly, averaging 28.590 % from Dec 2013 (Median) to 2017, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 29.260 % in 2013 and a record low of 27.950 % in 2015. South Africa ZA: Share of Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training: Male: % of Male Youth 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: Employment and Unemployment. Share of youth not in education, employment or training (NEET) is the proportion of young people who are not in education, employment, or training to the population of the corresponding age group: youth (ages 15 to 24); persons ages 15 to 29; or both age groups.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted Average;

Around ** percent of young people in Africa would travel to another African country, according to a survey conducted in 2021. Nearly ** percent of the respondents declared they did not think they could afford traveling within the continent. The survey also revealed that, around six out of 10 young Africans had never traveled within Africa.

• countries with epidemiological or political insecurity issues** non-endemic with possible exception of small border areas with Malawi and TanzaniaEndemic countries in Africa.

Comparison of Covid-19 demography in France and South Africa, 2020–2022.

The average for 2017 based on 65 countries was 1.8 kidnappings per 100,000 people. The highest value was in Belgium: 10.3 kidnappings per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Bermuda: 0 kidnappings per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 2003 to 2017. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.