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Atlas reference
Most Populous Countries in Africa
The most populous countries in Africa, ranked by population.
Nigeria currently leads this Africa ranking across 54 reported places.
Answer at a glance
Nigeria ranks as the most populous country in Africa, at 232,679,478, using the latest available World Bank value.
The gap to Ethiopia is 100,619,711 using the displayed latest-available values.
Methodology: countries are ordered by total population. Reporting years can vary by country, so this is a latest-available comparison rather than a single-year estimate. View World Bank population data.
Coverage: 54 countries and territories with a reported value are included; records without this metric are omitted.
54 of 54
Abuja
Addis Ababa
Cairo
Kinshasa
Dodoma
Pretoria
Nairobi
Khartoum
Kampala
Algiers
Rabat
Luanda
Maputo
Accra
Antananarivo
Yamoussoukro
Yaounde
Niamey
Bamako
Ouagadougou
Lilongwe
Lusaka
N'Djamena
Mogadishu
Dakar
Harare
Conakry
Porto-Novo
Kigali
Bujumbura
Tunis
Juba
Lome
Freetown
Tripolis
Brazzaville
Monrovia
Bangui
Nouakchott
Asmara
Windhoek
Banjul
Libreville
Gaborone
Maseru
Bissau
Malabo
Port Louis
Mbabane
Djibouti
Moroni
Praia
Sao Tome
Victoria
| # | Country | Population | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Nigeria | 232,679,478 | Abuja |
| 2 |  Ethiopia | 132,059,767 | Addis Ababa |
| 3 |  Egypt | 116,538,258 | Cairo |
| 4 |  Democratic Republic of the Congo | 109,276,265 | Kinshasa |
| 5 |  Tanzania | 68,560,157 | Dodoma |
| 6 |  South Africa | 64,007,187 | Pretoria |
| 7 |  Kenya | 56,432,944 | Nairobi |
| 8 |  Sudan | 50,448,963 | Khartoum |
| 9 |  Uganda | 50,015,092 | Kampala |
| 10 |  Algeria | 46,814,308 | Algiers |
| 11 |  Morocco | 38,081,173 | Rabat |
| 12 |  Angola | 37,885,849 | Luanda |
| 13 |  Mozambique | 34,631,766 | Maputo |
| 14 |  Ghana | 34,427,414 | Accra |
| 15 |  Madagascar | 31,964,956 | Antananarivo |
| 16 |  Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | 31,934,230 | Yamoussoukro |
| 17 |  Cameroon | 29,123,744 | Yaounde |
| 18 |  Niger | 27,032,412 | Niamey |
| 19 |  Mali | 24,478,595 | Bamako |
| 20 |  Burkina Faso | 23,548,781 | Ouagadougou |
| 21 |  Malawi | 21,655,286 | Lilongwe |
| 22 |  Zambia | 21,314,956 | Lusaka |
| 23 |  Chad | 20,299,123 | N'Djamena |
| 24 |  Somalia | 19,009,151 | Mogadishu |
| 25 |  Senegal | 18,501,984 | Dakar |
| 26 |  Zimbabwe | 16,634,373 | Harare |
| 27 |  Guinea | 14,754,785 | Conakry |
| 28 |  Benin | 14,462,724 | Porto-Novo |
| 29 |  Rwanda | 14,256,567 | Kigali |
| 30 |  Burundi | 14,047,786 | Bujumbura |
| 31 |  Tunisia | 12,277,109 | Tunis |
| 32 |  South Sudan | 11,943,408 | Juba |
| 33 |  Togo | 9,515,236 | Lome |
| 34 |  Sierra Leone | 8,642,022 | Freetown |
| 35 |  Libya | 7,381,023 | Tripolis |
| 36 |  Congo | 6,332,961 | Brazzaville |
| 37 |  Liberia | 5,612,817 | Monrovia |
| 38 |  Central African Republic | 5,330,690 | Bangui |
| 39 |  Mauritania | 5,169,395 | Nouakchott |
| 40 |  Eritrea | 3,535,603 | Asmara |
| 41 |  Namibia | 3,030,131 | Windhoek |
| 42 |  The Gambia | 2,759,988 | Banjul |
| 43 |  Gabon | 2,538,952 | Libreville |
| 44 |  Botswana | 2,521,139 | Gaborone |
| 45 |  Lesotho | 2,337,423 | Maseru |
| 46 |  Guinea-Bissau | 2,201,352 | Bissau |
| 47 |  Equatorial Guinea | 1,892,516 | Malabo |
| 48 |  Mauritius | 1,245,779 | Port Louis |
| 49 |  Eswatini | 1,242,822 | Mbabane |
| 50 |  Djibouti | 1,168,722 | Djibouti |
| 51 |  Comoros | 866,628 | Moroni |
| 52 |  Cape Verde | 524,877 | Praia |
| 53 |  Sao Tome and Principe | 235,536 | Sao Tome |
| 54 |  Seychelles | 121,354 | Victoria |
Most Populous Countries in Africa: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most populous country in Africa?
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with a population of approximately 232,679,478.
What are the top three most populous countries in Africa?
Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt.