10 African countries with the highest population at the start of 2024

Business Insider Africa presents the 10 African countries with the highest population at the start of 2024.
This list is courtesy of WorldPopulationReview.
As expected Nigeria has the largest population in Africa.

Africa has one of the world's youngest populations, with a large share under the age of 25.

While this demographic structure creates opportunities for a creative and active workforce, it also presents obstacles in terms of education, employment, and the need for strong social and economic policies to capitalize on the youth bulge.

The burgeoning population offers both opportunities and challenges for economic development. On one hand, a large and youthful workforce can drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth.

However, population growth also intersects with environmental concerns. Balancing the need for economic development with sustainable practices becomes imperative to avoid the over-exploitation of natural resources and mitigate the impact on ecosystems.

With that said, here are the 10 African countries with the highest population at the start of 2024.

This list was compiled by WorldPopulationReview, an independent for-profit company dedicated to providing current world population data and demographics.

10 African countries with the largest population

Rank	Country	Population	Global rank
1.	Nigeria	226,987,534	7th
2.	Ethiopia	128,432,812	10th
3.	Egypt	113,763,536	14th
4.	Democratic Republic of Congo	104,255,885	15th
5.	Tanzania	68,617,296	21st
6.	South Africa	60,752,963	24th
7.	Kenya	55,755,912	26th
8.	Uganda	49,382,137	30th
9.	Sudan	48,855,380	31st
10.	Algeria	46,015,294	34th