Demographics of Africa
The population of Africa has grown rapidly over the past century and consequently shows a large youth bulge, further reinforced by a low life expectancy of below 50 years in some African countries. Total population as of 2020 is estimated to be more than 1.3 billion, with a growth rate of more than 2.5% p.a. The total fertility rate (births per woman) for Africa is 4.7 as of 2018, the highest in the world according to the World Bank. The most populous African country is Nigeria with over 206 million inhabitants as of 2020 and a growth rate of 2.6% p.a. Population Genetics History Alternative Estimates of African Population, 0–2018 AD (in thousands) Source: Maddison and others. (University of Groningen). Shares of Africa and World Population, 0–2020 AD (% of world total) Source: Maddison and others (University of Groningen) and others. Vital Statistics 1950–2021AD Registration of vital events in most of Africa is incomplete. The website Our World in Data prepared the following estimates based on statistics from the Population Department of the United Nations. Population density The Sahara Desert, covering most of North Africa, and the smaller Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa, are very sparsely populated. Heavily populated areas