Top 10 African Countries with the Largest Populations as of January 2024

Africa is experiencing tremendous population increase. According to United Nations predictions, the continent’s population will quadruple by 2050, reaching more than 2.5 billion people. This spike is being driven by reasons such as rising fertility rates, reducing mortality rates, and an increasing number of young individuals reaching reproductive age.

Africa has one of the world’s youngest populations, with a significant proportion under the age of 25.

While this demographic structure gives potential for a creative and active workforce, it also raises concerns about education, employment, and the need for strong social and economic policies to capitalize on the youth bulge.

The growing population both opportunities and difficulties for economic development. On the one hand, a large and young workforce can promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth.

However, population expansion also raises environmental concerns. Balancing economic development with sustainable practices is critical to avoiding over-exploitation of natural resources and mitigating the impact on ecosystems.

With that said, here are the ten African countries with the largest populations at the beginning of 2024.

This list was prepared by WorldPopulationReview, an independent for-profit company that provides current global population data and demographics.