According to the United Nations, Africa now has 54 countries. The whole list is shown in the table below, along with current population and subregion information (based on the United Nations official statistics).
Africa is the world’s second-largest continent in terms of land size and population, covering an area of around 30 million km2 and home to 1.2 billion people.
Africa is home to 54 UN-recognized countries, two autonomous entities with restricted or no recognition (Western Sahara and Somaliland), and some non-African territories (mainly islands).
For instance, Spain controls the Canary Islands. Nonetheless, given Africa’s difficult political status, colonial history, and current insurrections in a number of countries, the continent’s exact number of legally recognized countries remains a point of contention.
Africa as a Whole
Africa has the youngest population of any continent, with a median age of 19.7. (in comparison to the global median age of 30.4).
Niger has the world’s youngest median age of 15.3 years. Algeria, located in northern Africa, is Africa’s largest sovereign state and also one of the most populous, with around 44 million citizens.
Nigeria is by far the most populous country in Africa, with about 211 million inhabitants as of 2021.
Ethiopia is the next largest country, with a population of about 118 million, followed by Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya, which all have populations ranging from 92 million to 54 million.
Even the smallest African countries have a sizable population. Rwanda and Burundi are both relatively small countries in terms of land area (despite sharing borders with the much bigger Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania), but have populations of 13.2 million and 12.2 million, respectively.
Lesotho is another tiny landlocked country surrounded by significantly larger South Africa, with a population of more than 2.1 million.
Seychelles, a 115-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean, is Africa’s smallest country, with a population of approximately 98,000.
Countries in Africa
The table below contains a complete list of Africa’s 54 countries.
| Country | 2022 Population | GNI per capita (US Dollars) | Growth Rate | Land Mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 45,350,148 | $3,550 | 1.64% | 2,381,741 km² |
| Angola | 35,027,343 | $2,230 | 3.22% | 1,246,700 km² |
| Benin | 12,784,726 | $1,280 | 2.68% | 112,622 km² |
| Botswana | 2,441,162 | $6,640 | 1.83% | 582,000 km² |
| Burkina Faso | 22,102,838 | $790 | 2.82% | 272,967 km² |
| Burundi | 12,624,840 | $270 | 3.01% | 27,834 km² |
| Cameroon | 27,911,548 | $1,500 | 2.53% | 475,442 km² |
| Cape Verde | 567,678 | – | 1.03% | 4,033 km² |
| Central African Republic | 5,016,678 | $510 | 1.97% | 622,984 km² |
| Chad | 17,413,580 | $660 | 2.95% | 1,284,000 km² |
| Comoros | 907,419 | $1,450 | 2.14% | 1,862 km² |
| Djibouti | 1,016,097 | $3,320 | 1.39% | 23,200 km² |
| DR Congo | 95,240,792 | $550 | 3.10% | 2,344,858 km² |
| Egypt | 106,156,692 | $3,000 | 1.82% | 1,002,450 km² |
| Equatorial Guinea | 28,051 km² | 3.23% | $5,810 | 1,496,662 |
| Eritrea | 3,662,244 | $510 | 1.69% | 117,600 km² |
| Eswatini | 1,184,817 | $3,580 | 1.06% | 17,364 km² |
| Ethiopia | 120,812,698 | $890 | 2.49% | 1,104,300 km² |
| Gabon | 2,331,533 | $6,970 | 2.31% | 267,668 km² |
| Gambia | 2,558,482 | $750 | 2.88% | 10,689 km² |
| Ghana | 32,395,450 | $2,230 | 2.09% | 238,533 km² |
| Guinea | 13,865,691 | $1,020 | 2.73% | 245,857 km² |
| Guinea Bissau | 2,063,367 | $760 | 2.38% | 36,125 km² |
| Ivory Coast | 27,742,298 | $2,280 | 2.55% | 322,463 km² |
| Kenya | 56,215,221 | $1,760 | 2.24% | 580,367 km² |
| Lesotho | 2,175,699 | $1,100 | 0.77% | 30,355 km² |
| Liberia | 5,305,117 | $530 | 2.41% | 111,369 km² |
| Libya | 7,040,745 | $4,850 | 1.18% | 1,759,540 km² |
| Madagascar | 29,178,077 | $480 | 2.64% | 587,041 km² |
| Malawi | 20,180,839 | $580 | 2.71% | 118,484 km² |
| Mali | 21,473,764 | $830 | 2.96% | 1,240,192 km² |
| Mauritania | 4,901,981 | $1,640 | 2.66% | 1,030,700 km² |
| Mauritius | 1,274,727 | $10,230 | 0.10% | 2,040 km² |
| Morocco | 37,772,756 | $2,980 | 1.15% | 446,550 km² |
| Mozambique | 33,089,461 | $460 | 2.88% | 801,590 km² |
| Namibia | 2,633,874 | $4,520 | 1.80% | 825,615 km² |
| Niger | 26,083,660 | $540 | 3.79% | 1,267,000 km² |
| Nigeria | 216,746,934 | $2,000 | 2.53% | 923,768 km² |
| Republic of the Congo | 5,797,805 | $1,830 | 2.49% | 342,000 km² |
| Rwanda | 13,600,464 | $780 | 2.44% | 26,338 km² |
| Sao Tome And Principe | 227,679 | $2,070 | 1.93% | 964 km² |
| Senegal | 17,653,671 | $1,430 | 2.66% | 196,722 km² |
| Seychelles | 99,426 | $12,720 | 0.52% | 452 km² |
| Sierra Leone | 8,306,436 | $490 | 2.03% | 71,740 km² |
| Somalia | 16,841,795 | $310 | 2.95% | 637,657 km² |
| South Africa | 60,756,135 | $5,410 | 1.19% | 1,221,037 km² |
| South Sudan | 11,618,511 | $1,090 | 2.08% | 619,745 km² |
| Sudan | 45,992,020 | $650 | 2.41% | 1,886,068 km² |
| Tanzania | 63,298,550 | $1,080 | 2.93% | 945,087 km² |
| Togo | 8,680,837 | $920 | 2.39% | 56,785 km² |
| Tunisia | 12,046,656 | $3,100 | 0.93% | 163,610 km² |
| Uganda | 48,432,863 | $800 | 2.78% | 241,550 km² |
| Zambia | 19,470,234 | $1,190 | 2.90% | 752,612 km² |
| Zimbabwe | 15,331,428 | $1,090 | 1.58% | 390,757 km² |