Total Countries in Africa: 54
There are 54 countries in Africa today, according to the United Nations. The full list is shown in the table below, with current population and subregion (based on the United Nations official statistics).
Dependencies (or dependent territories, dependent areas) or Areas of Special Sovereignty (autonomous territories)
Surrounded by water from all directions, Africa is a continent with clearly defined borders. In the north it is separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, in the northeast, is separated from Asia by the Suez Canal and farther by the Red Sea. From the east and southeast, it is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, from the west by the Atlantic Ocean.
The total number of independent states in Africa is 54. The transcontinental country in this region is Egypt, also having a small part of its territory in Asia, on the other side of the Suez Canal, but politically it is a member of the African Union.
Among the African countries, the biggest one is Algeria, occupying around 7% of the continent’s territory. And the smallest nation is Seychelles, the worldwide famous luxurious beach holiday destination, occupying 115 islands stretching along the mainland’s eastern coast.
Colorful Morocco is in the first place among the most popular travel spots in this part of the world, the second place belongs to South Africa, followed by Egypt and Tunisia.
The always up-to-date list of countries of Africa in alphabetical order
| # | Country | Population (2020) | Subregion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 206,139,589 | Western Africa |
| 2 | Ethiopia | 114,963,588 | Eastern Africa |
| 3 | Egypt | 102,334,404 | Northern Africa |
| 4 | DR Congo | 89,561,403 | Middle Africa |
| 5 | Tanzania | 59,734,218 | Eastern Africa |
| 6 | South Africa | 59,308,690 | Southern Africa |
| 7 | Kenya | 53,771,296 | Eastern Africa |
| 8 | Uganda | 45,741,007 | Eastern Africa |
| 9 | Algeria | 43,851,044 | Northern Africa |
| 10 | Sudan | 43,849,260 | Northern Africa |
| 11 | Morocco | 36,910,560 | Northern Africa |
| 12 | Angola | 32,866,272 | Middle Africa |
| 13 | Mozambique | 31,255,435 | Eastern Africa |
| 14 | Ghana | 31,072,940 | Western Africa |
| 15 | Madagascar | 27,691,018 | Eastern Africa |
| 16 | Cameroon | 26,545,863 | Middle Africa |
| 17 | Côte d’Ivoire | 26,378,274 | Western Africa |
| 18 | Niger | 24,206,644 | Western Africa |
| 19 | Burkina Faso | 20,903,273 | Western Africa |
| 20 | Mali | 20,250,833 | Western Africa |
| 21 | Malawi | 19,129,952 | Eastern Africa |
| 22 | Zambia | 18,383,955 | Eastern Africa |
| 23 | Senegal | 16,743,927 | Western Africa |
| 24 | Chad | 16,425,864 | Middle Africa |
| 25 | Somalia | 15,893,222 | Eastern Africa |
| 26 | Zimbabwe | 14,862,924 | Eastern Africa |
| 27 | Guinea | 13,132,795 | Western Africa |
| 28 | Rwanda | 12,952,218 | Eastern Africa |
| 29 | Benin | 12,123,200 | Western Africa |
| 30 | Burundi | 11,890,784 | Eastern Africa |
| 31 | Tunisia | 11,818,619 | Northern Africa |
| 32 | South Sudan | 11,193,725 | Eastern Africa |
| 33 | Togo | 8,278,724 | Western Africa |
| 34 | Sierra Leone | 7,976,983 | Western Africa |
| 35 | Libya | 6,871,292 | Northern Africa |
| 36 | Congo | 5,518,087 | Middle Africa |
| 37 | Liberia | 5,057,681 | Western Africa |
| 38 | Central African Republic | 4,829,767 | Middle Africa |
| 39 | Mauritania | 4,649,658 | Western Africa |
| 40 | Eritrea | 3,546,421 | Eastern Africa |
| 41 | Namibia | 2,540,905 | Southern Africa |
| 42 | Gambia | 2,416,668 | Western Africa |
| 43 | Botswana | 2,351,627 | Southern Africa |
| 44 | Gabon | 2,225,734 | Middle Africa |
| 45 | Lesotho | 2,142,249 | Southern Africa |
| 46 | Guinea-Bissau | 1,968,001 | Western Africa |
| 47 | Equatorial Guinea | 1,402,985 | Middle Africa |
| 48 | Mauritius | 1,271,768 | Eastern Africa |
| 49 | Eswatini | 1,160,164 | Southern Africa |
| 50 | Djibouti | 988,000 | Eastern Africa |
| 51 | Comoros | 869,601 | Eastern Africa |
| 52 | Cabo Verde | 555,987 | Western Africa |
| 53 | Sao Tome & Principe | 219,159 | Middle Africa |
| 54 | Seychelles | 98,347 | Eastern Africa |
| # | Territory | Population (2020) | Dependency of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Réunion | 895,312 | France |
| 2 | Western Sahara | 597,339 | (disputed) |
| 3 | Mayotte | 272,815 | France |
| 4 | Saint Helena | 6,077 | U.K. |
