Considered a developing economy with the youngest demographic of any continent, it’s no surprise that Africa’s population rate is on the rise, with a report by the UN noting that Nigeria will almost double its population by 2050 to an estimated 377 million.
Having said that, we can deduce that Africa stands at the crossroads of demographic transformation. The continent’s population growth has been a subject of considerable attention and discussion, with both challenges and opportunities emerging as key themes.
Understanding the nuances of this demographic shift is crucial for policymakers, economists, and global citizens alike while studying the projections based on current trends will help the aforementioned stakeholders better prepare for harnessing this growth rather than crumbling under its weight.
In 2023 countries in Africa experienced varying levels of population growth.
According to WorldPopulationReview, a platform that tracks the live population changes in every country, Niger had the highest population growth rate at 3.8% and ranks 3rd globally.
Seven of the top ten countries with the highest population growth between 2022 and 2023 are African. Also, fourteen of the top twenty are African, highlighting just how rapidly the African population is growing when compared to other regions.
With that said below are the top 10 African countries with the highest population growth in from 2022 to 2023.
List of African countries with the most population growth
| Rank | Country | 2023 Population | 2022 population | Growth rate | World Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Niger | 27,604,215 | 26,207,977 | 3.8% | 3rd |
| 2. | Democratic Republic of Congo | 103,575,710 | 99,010,212 | 3.29% | 4th |
| 3. | Chad | 18,501,137 | 17,723,315 | 3.13% | 5th |
| 4. | Mali | 23,575,037 | 22,593,590 | 3.1% | 6th |
| 5. | Somalia | 18,363,448 | 17,597,511 | 3.1% | 7th |
| 6. | Angola | 37,124,342 | 35,588,987 | 3.08% | 8th |
| 7. | Tanzania | 68,215,855 | 65,497,748 | 2.96% | 10th |
| 8. | Central Republic Africa | 5,808,586 | 5,579,144 | 2.92% | 12th |
| 9. | Uganda | 49,111,255 | 47,249,585 | 2.82% | 13th |
| 10. | Mozambique | 34,274,977 | 32,969,518 |