Sub-Saharan Africa population
1,321,654,217 people live in Sub-Saharan Africa — 16.1% of everyone alive, across 48 economies. Nigeria alone holds 18% of the region; the three largest (Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo) hold 37%. Population-weighted growth is +2.43% a year, so the region adds about 32,123,330 people annually. The fastest-growing country is Chad (+3.41%/yr); the oldest society is Mauritius (14.1% aged 65+).
All 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
| Rank | Country | Population | Growth /yr | Share of region | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |  Nigeria | 237,527,782 | +2.06% | 18.0% | #6 |
| #2 |  Ethiopia | 135,472,051 | +2.55% | 10.3% | #10 |
| #3 |  DR Congo | 112,832,473 | +3.20% | 8.5% | #15 |
| #4 |  Tanzania | 70,545,865 | +2.86% | 5.3% | #21 |
| #5 |  South Africa | 64,747,319 | +1.15% | 4.9% | #24 |
| #6 |  Kenya | 57,532,493 | +1.93% | 4.4% | #26 |
| #7 |  Sudan | 51,662,147 | +2.38% | 3.9% | #30 |
| #8 |  Uganda | 51,384,894 | +2.70% | 3.9% | #31 |
| #9 |  Angola | 39,040,039 | +3.00% | 3.0% | #39 |
| #10 |  Mozambique | 35,631,653 | +2.85% | 2.7% | #46 |
| #11 |  Ghana | 35,064,272 | +1.83% | 2.7% | #47 |
| #12 |  Madagascar | 32,740,678 | +2.40% | 2.5% | #49 |
| #13 |  Ivory Coast | 32,711,547 | +2.40% | 2.5% | #50 |
| #14 |  Cameroon | 29,879,337 | +2.56% | 2.3% | #51 |
| #15 |  Niger | 27,917,831 | +3.22% | 2.1% | #54 |
| #16 |  Mali | 25,198,821 | +2.90% | 1.9% | #58 |
| #17 |  Burkina Faso | 24,074,580 | +2.21% | 1.8% | #59 |
| #18 |  Malawi | 22,216,120 | +2.56% | 1.7% | #60 |
| #19 |  Zambia | 21,913,874 | +2.77% | 1.7% | #61 |
| #20 |  Chad | 21,003,705 | +3.41% | 1.6% | #63 |
| #21 |  Somalia | 19,654,739 | +3.34% | 1.5% | #66 |
| #22 |  Senegal | 18,931,966 | +2.30% | 1.4% | #68 |
| #23 |  Zimbabwe | 16,950,795 | +1.88% | 1.3% | #73 |
| #24 |  Guinea | 15,099,727 | +2.31% | 1.1% | #74 |
| #25 |  Benin | 14,814,460 | +2.40% | 1.1% | #75 |
| #26 |  Rwanda | 14,569,341 | +2.17% | 1.1% | #76 |
| #27 |  Burundi | 14,390,003 | +2.41% | 1.1% | #77 |
| #28 |  South Sudan | 12,188,788 | +2.03% | 0.9% | #80 |
| #29 |  Sierra Leone | 8,819,794 | +2.04% | 0.7% | #100 |
| #30 |  Togo | 8,591,626 | +2.18% | 0.7% | #101 |
| #31 |  Republic of the Congo | 6,484,437 | +2.36% | 0.5% | #110 |
| #32 |  Liberia | 5,731,206 | +2.09% | 0.4% | #116 |
| #33 |  Central African Republic | 5,513,282 | +3.37% | 0.4% | #119 |
| #34 |  Mauritania | 5,315,065 | +2.78% | 0.4% | #125 |
| #35 |  Eritrea | 3,607,003 | +2.00% | 0.3% | #131 |
| #36 |  Namibia | 3,092,816 | +2.05% | 0.2% | #136 |
| #37 |  Gambia | 2,822,093 | +2.23% | 0.2% | #141 |
| #38 |  Gabon | 2,593,130 | +2.11% | 0.2% | #142 |
| #39 |  Botswana | 2,562,122 | +1.61% | 0.2% | #143 |
| #40 |  Lesotho | 2,363,325 | +1.10% | 0.2% | #144 |
| #41 |  Guinea-Bissau | 2,249,515 | +2.16% | 0.2% | #147 |
| #42 |  Equatorial Guinea | 1,938,431 | +2.40% | 0.1% | #149 |
| #43 |  Eswatini | 1,256,174 | +1.07% | 0.1% | #158 |
| #44 |  Mauritius | 1,243,741 | −0.16% | 0.1% | #159 |
| #45 |  Comoros | 882,847 | +1.85% | 0.1% | #162 |
| #46 |  Cape Verde | 527,326 | +0.47% | 0.0% | #172 |
| #47 |  São Tomé and Príncipe | 240,254 | +1.98% | 0.0% | #181 |
| #48 |  Seychelles | 122,730 | +1.13% | 0.0% | #188 |
Largest cities in Sub-Saharan Africa
| # | City | Country | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lagos | Nigeria | 12,791,699 |
| 2 | Luanda | Angola | 11,370,127 |
| 3 | Kinshasa | DR Congo | 10,943,641 |
| 4 | Dar es Salaam | Tanzania | 7,795,114 |
| 5 | Johannesburg | South Africa | 7,077,175 |
| 6 | Khartoum | Sudan | 6,809,355 |
| 7 | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia | 6,705,705 |
| 8 | Abidjan | Ivory Coast | 6,621,711 |
| 9 | Nairobi | Kenya | 6,134,334 |
| 10 | Onitsha | Nigeria | 5,627,706 |
| 11 | Accra | Ghana | 5,592,780 |
| 12 | Yaoundé | Cameroon | 5,106,087 |
City figures as shown on each city page (official unit total, UN urban area, or GeoNames administrative city).
Explore
Compare: Nigeria vs Ethiopia, Nigeria vs DR Congo, Ethiopia vs DR Congo, DR Congo vs Tanzania, Tanzania vs South Africa.
Rankings: largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest, densest.
Other regions: East Asia & Pacific, Europe & Central Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, North America, South Asia.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.