Worldwide | How many countries does Africa have? List of countries + population

How many countries does Africa count? What is the number of inhabitants per country? What is the largest country in Africa? These are all fun questions that we have answers to! On this page you will find answers to the most common questions about Africa, but also a clear table with all countries in Africa + the number of inhabitants per country. Are you ready to become worldly?

Also read: 24 Must Sees in Africa | The most beautiful places for your bucket list

Table of contents

Africa has clear borders

Surrounded by water from all sides, Africa is a continent with clear borders. In the north it is separated from Europe by the Mediterranean. In the northeast, it is separated from Asia through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. From the east and southeast it is surrounded by the Indian Ocean and from the west by the Atlantic Ocean.

The transcontinental country in Africa

The transcontinental country (which basically means that the country is not located on one but two continents) in this region Egypt † Egypt also has a small part of its territory in Asia. This can be clearly seen in the image below. Politically, Egypt is a member of the African Union.

Map of Africa with countries

The largest country in Africa

Algeria is the largest of the African countries. With 2,381,741 km², it covers 7% of the continent's territory. The Democratic Republic of Congo follows closely behind with 2,344,858 km².

The smallest country in Africa

The smallest country in Africa is the Seychelles. A world famous luxury beach holiday destination with 115 islands stretching along the east coast of the mainland. The country in its entirety covers only 455 km².

The Most Populous Countries In Africa

With no less than 206 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the country with the most inhabitants. Because Nigeria covers a large area, the country does not appear in the top 3 of most densely populated countries in Africa. You can see which countries these are below:

1. Mauritius

Mauritius is an island country located 1200 kilometers from the African mainland. The country is made up of four islands: Mauritius, Rodrigues, Saint Brandon and Agalega. Mauritius has 1,264,000 inhabitants, of which 1,219,265 on the main island of Mauritius. Since the country only covers an area of 1,260 km², this translates to a population density of about 1,000 persons per km², the highest in Africa. The population density is attributed to the small area of the island.

2. Rwanda

Rwanda is a small country in the central part of Africa. The country borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania † Rwanda is one of the smallest countries in the world with an area of 1,669 km². Rwanda has a population of about 11 million people. That translates to a population density of 720 persons per km², the second highest population density in Africa. The majority of the population lives in the rural regions of the country, with Rwanda having few major cities. The largest city is Kigali with about 1 million inhabitants.

Also read: Zanzibar, Tanzania | Beautiful beaches and a special history

Rwanda, a densely populated country in Africa

3. Burundi

Burundi is also a small African country located in the central part of the continent. The country borders Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. Burundi also borders Lake Tanganyika in the southwestern region. Burundi has a total area of 17,200 km² and a population of 11.1 million people. That translates to the third highest population density in Africa of 702 persons per km². The population is mainly rural with 87% of the population living in rural areas of the country.

Burundi, a densely populated country in Africa

The most sparsely populated countries in Africa

1 Botswana

Botswana is an African country in the southern part of the continent. The country covers an area of 362,576 km² with more than 70% of it in the Kalahari Desert. Botswana is one of the least populous countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with a population of approximately 2.1 million people. Because most of the country is arid, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. The population density is only 15.36 persons per km². The country's capital, Gaborone, is home to 10% of the total population.

2. Libya

Libya is an African country in the north of the continent. The country is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, Algeria, Tunisia, Niger, Egypt, Sudan and Chad. Libya is one of the largest countries in Africa with an area of 1,086,979 km². Because the country has 6.4 million people, this translates to a population density of 14.7 persons per km², the second lowest in Africa. The low population density is attributed to the remoteness of the country, with a large percentage of the country being covered by desert.

3.Namibia

Namibia is an African country located on the southwestern edge of the continent. The country covers an area of 510,035 km², making it one of the largest countries in southern Africa. However, Namibia has a small population of about 2.1 million people, which translates to a population density of 10.5 persons per km², the lowest in Africa and the second lowest in the world. The low population density is attributed to the arid nature of most of the country.

All countries in Africa (list)

UPDATED : July 20, 2021

Below is the list of all countries in Africa, including the number of inhabitants per country according to the latest estimates (July 2021) of https://www.worldometers.info/ .

#	Country	Population	Region
1	Algeria	44 million	North Africa
2	Angola	33 million	Central Africa
3	Benin	12 million	W
4	Botswana	2.5 million	South Africa
5	Burkina Faso	21 million	W
6	Burundi	12 million	East africa
7	CA Republic	5 million	Central Africa
8	Comoros	0.9 million	East africa
9	Congo	5.5 million	Central Africa
10	Congo-Kinshasa	90 million	Central Africa
11	Djibouti	1 million	East africa
12	Egypt	102 million	North Africa
13	Equatorial Guinea	1.5 million	Central Africa
14	eritrea	3.5 million	East africa
15	eSwatini (Swaziland)	1.2 million	South Africa
16	Ethiopia	115 million	East africa
17	Gabon	2.2 million	Central Africa
18	Gambia	2.4 million	W
19	Ghana	31 million	W
20	Guinea	13 million	W
21	Guinea-Bissau	2 million	W
22	Ivory Coast	26.5 million	W
23	Cape Verde	0.5 million	W
24	cameroon	26.5 million	Central Africa
25	Kenya	54 million	East africa
26	Lesotho	2.2 million	South Africa
27	Liberia	5 million	W
28	libya	7 million	North Africa
29	Madagascar	28 million	East africa
30	Malawi	19 million	East africa
31	Mali	20 million	W
32	morocco	37 million	North Africa
33	Mauritania	4.7 million	W
34	Mauritius	1.3 million	East africa
35	Mozambique	31 million	East africa
36	Namibia	2.5 million	South Africa
37	Niger	24 million	W
38	Nigeria	206 million	W
39	Rwanda	13 million	East africa
40	Sao Tome and Principe	0.2 million	Central Africa
41	Senegal	17 million	W
42	Seychelles	0.1 million	East africa
43	Sierra Leone	8 million	W
44	Sudan	44 million	North Africa
45	Somalia	16 million	East africa
46	Tanzania	60 million	East africa
47	Togo	8.2 million	W
48	Chad	16.5 million	Central Africa
49	tunisia	12 million	North Africa
50	Uganda	45 million	East africa
51	Zambia	18.5 million	East africa
52	Zimbabwe	15 million	East africa
53	South Africa	59 million	South Africa
54	Southern Sudan	12 million	East africa

Most Popular Travel Destinations in Africa

Despite the many negative news you often see on television, travel safety in Africa is good enough in most countries. colorful morocco is in the first place one of the most popular travel destinations in this part of the world, the second place belongs to South Africa , followed by Egypt and Tunisia.

Do you want to know more about Africa or the world? Then read our page with Information about the world or take a look at our worldly category. see you there!