Population of Africa

As of 1 July 2020, the population of Africa is projected close to 1.34 billion or 1341 million or 1,340,598,147 people. Africa is the second-most populous continent behind Asia since the year 1996 after overtaking Europe. Africa had crossed one billion milestones in the year 2010 and will have more than 4 billion people by the end of the century as per projection. Africa’s share of the world population increased from 9 percent in 1950 to the current estimate of 17.2 percent in 2020 and is projected to reach nearly 39.4 percent in 2100.

The Eastern Africa region forms the single largest population block in Africa, followed by the Western Africa region. Eastern Africa accounts for about a third of Africa’s population, while the Western Africa region accounts for 30% of the African continent. These two regions together account for 63% of the continent’s population. Eighteen percent of the African population lives in Northern Africa, 13 percent in Middle Africa, and 5 percent in Southern Africa.

Africa is the fastest-growing continent by population since the year 1967. The Annual population growth rate on the continent is very high, at 2.49 percent in 2020, and is projected to remain above 2 percent for the next 20 years. The population growth reached a peak in 1984, with an annual growth rate of 2.87%. Middle Africa is the fastest-growing subregion in Africa, with a growth rate of over 3 percent, followed by Western Africa and Eastern Africa. Southern Africa and Northern Africa are the two regions that have a growth rate below 2%. The population of Africa has increased by 489% since 1950, which is 200% more than the 2nd highest figure in South America at 289%.

Africa will add 32.5 million people in 2020, which is near to the population of the 45th ranked Malaysia. The net increase in the population per year is projected to peak in 2052, with almost 42 million.