Most Populous Countries in Africa (2026)
The most populous countries in Africa, ranked by population.
| # | Country | Population | Area | GDP | GDP / capita | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇳🇬Nigeria | 232,679,478 | 923,770 km² | $252.26 billion | $1,084 | Abuja |
| 2 | 🇪🇹Ethiopia | 132,059,767 | 1,136,240 km² | $149.74 billion | $1,134 | Addis Ababa |
| 3 | 🇪🇬Egypt | 116,538,258 | 1,001,450 km² | $389.06 billion | $3,338 | Cairo |
| 4 | 🇨🇩Democratic Republic of the Congo | 109,276,265 | 2,344,860 km² | $70.96 billion | $649 | Kinshasa |
| 5 | 🇹🇿Tanzania | 68,560,157 | 947,300 km² | $78.84 billion | $1,187 | Dodoma |
| 6 | 🇿🇦South Africa | 64,007,187 | 1,219,090 km² | $401.14 billion | $6,267 | Pretoria |
| 7 | 🇰🇪Kenya | 56,432,944 | 591,969 km² | $120.34 billion | $2,132 | Nairobi |
| 8 | 🇸🇩Sudan | 50,448,963 | 1,878,000 km² | $49.67 billion | $985 | Khartoum |
| 9 | 🇺🇬Uganda | 50,015,092 | 241,550 km² | $53.91 billion | $1,078 | Kampala |
| 10 | 🇩🇿Algeria | 46,814,308 | 2,381,740 km² | $269.32 billion | $5,753 | Algiers |
| 11 | 🇲🇦Morocco | 38,081,173 | 446,550 km² | $160.61 billion | $4,153 | Rabat |
| 12 | 🇦🇴Angola | 37,885,849 | 1,246,700 km² | $101.00 billion | $2,666 | Luanda |
| 13 | 🇲🇿Mozambique | 34,631,766 | 799,380 km² | $22.75 billion | $657 | Maputo |
| 14 | 🇬ðŸ‡Ghana | 34,427,414 | 238,539 km² | $82.31 billion | $2,391 | Accra |
| 15 | 🇲🇬Madagascar | 31,964,956 | 587,295 km² | $17.42 billion | $545 | Antananarivo |
| 16 | 🇨🇮Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | 31,934,230 | 322,460 km² | $87.11 billion | $2,728 | Yamoussoukro |
| 17 | 🇨🇲Cameroon | 29,123,744 | 475,440 km² | $53.30 billion | $1,830 | Yaounde |
| 18 | 🇳🇪Niger | 27,032,412 | 1,267,000 km² | $19.88 billion | $735 | Niamey |
| 19 | 🇲🇱Mali | 24,478,595 | 1,240,190 km² | $26.79 billion | $1,095 | Bamako |
| 20 | 🇧🇫Burkina Faso | 23,548,781 | 274,200 km² | $23.12 billion | $982 | Ouagadougou |
| 21 | 🇲🇼Malawi | 21,655,286 | 118,480 km² | $11.32 billion | $523 | Lilongwe |
| 22 | 🇿🇲Zambia | 21,314,956 | 752,610 km² | $25.30 billion | $1,187 | Lusaka |
| 23 | 🇹🇩Chad | 20,299,123 | 1,284,000 km² | $19.52 billion | $962 | N'Djamena |
| 24 | 🇸🇴Somalia | 19,009,151 | 637,660 km² | $11.97 billion | $630 | Mogadishu |
| 25 | 🇸🇳Senegal | 18,501,984 | 196,710 km² | $32.81 billion | $1,773 | Dakar |
| 26 | 🇿🇼Zimbabwe | 16,634,373 | 390,760 km² | $41.54 billion | $2,497 | Harare |
| 27 | 🇬🇳Guinea | 14,754,785 | 245,860 km² | $25.01 billion | $1,695 | Conakry |
| 28 | 🇧🇯Benin | 14,462,724 | 114,760 km² | $21.48 billion | $1,485 | Porto-Novo |
| 29 | 🇷🇼Rwanda | 14,256,567 | 26,338 km² | $14.25 billion | $1,000 | Kigali |
| 30 | 🇧🇮Burundi | 14,047,786 | 27,830 km² | $3.08 billion | $219 | Bujumbura |
| 31 | 🇹🇳Tunisia | 12,277,109 | 163,610 km² | $51.33 billion | $4,181 | Tunis |
| 32 | 🇸🇸South Sudan | 11,943,408 | 646,883 km² | $12.00 billion | $1,080 | Juba |
| 33 | 🇹🇬Togo | 9,515,236 | 56,790 km² | $10.65 billion | $1,119 | Lome |
| 34 | 🇸🇱Sierra Leone | 8,642,022 | 72,300 km² | $6.97 billion | $807 | Freetown |
| 35 | 🇱🇾Libya | 7,381,023 | 1,759,540 km² | $48.49 billion | $6,569 | Tripolis |
| 36 | 🇨🇬Congo | 6,332,961 | 342,000 km² | $15.72 billion | $2,482 | Brazzaville |
| 37 | 🇱🇷Liberia | 5,612,817 | 111,370 km² | $4.78 billion | $851 | Monrovia |
| 38 | 🇨🇫Central African Republic | 5,330,690 | 622,980 km² | $2.75 billion | $516 | Bangui |
| 39 | 🇲🇷Mauritania | 5,169,395 | 1,030,700 km² | $10.91 billion | $2,110 | Nouakchott |
| 40 | 🇪🇷Eritrea | 3,535,603 | 121,766 km² | $2.07 billion | $689 | Asmara |
| 41 | 🇳🇦Namibia | 3,030,131 | 824,290 km² | $13.37 billion | $4,413 | Windhoek |
| 42 | 🇬🇲The Gambia | 2,759,988 | 11,300 km² | $2.40 billion | $871 | Banjul |
| 43 | 🇬🇦Gabon | 2,538,952 | 267,670 km² | $20.90 billion | $8,230 | Libreville |
| 44 | 🇧🇼Botswana | 2,521,139 | 581,730 km² | $19.40 billion | $7,696 | Gaborone |
| 45 | 🇱🇸Lesotho | 2,337,423 | 30,360 km² | $2.27 billion | $972 | Maseru |
| 46 | 🇬🇼Guinea-Bissau | 2,201,352 | 36,130 km² | $2.22 billion | $1,008 | Bissau |
| 47 | 🇬🇶Equatorial Guinea | 1,892,516 | 28,050 km² | $12.77 billion | $6,745 | Malabo |
| 48 | 🇲🇺Mauritius | 1,245,779 | 2,010 km² | $14.94 billion | $11,991 | Port Louis |
| 49 | 🇸🇿Eswatini | 1,242,822 | 17,360 km² | $4.86 billion | $3,910 | Mbabane |
| 50 | 🇩🇯Djibouti | 1,168,722 | 23,200 km² | $4.15 billion | $3,553 | Djibouti |
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.