demographics of Africa

{{Main|Genetic history of Africa}}

Source: Maddison and others. (University of Groningen).{{cite web|url=http://www.ggdc.net/maddison/other_books/appendix_B.pdf|title=Growth of World Population, GDP and GDP Per Capita before 1820|author=Maddison|date=27 July 2016 |access-date=17 July 2019|archive-date=12 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212183845/http://www.ggdc.net/maddison/other_books/appendix_B.pdf|url-status=live}}

Source: Maddison and others (University of Groningen) and others.

Registration of vital events in most of Africa is incomplete. The website Our World in Data prepared the following estimates based on statistics from the Population Department of the United Nations.{{Cite web |title=Population & Demography Data Explorer |url=https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/population-and-demography?facet=none&Metric=Population&Sex=Both+sexes&Age+group=Total&Projection+Scenario=None&country=~NER |access-date=2022-07-22 |website=Our World in Data}}

{{Multiple image|total_width = 750

| align = center

| direction = horizontal

| image1 = Life expectancy map -Africa -2019 -with names.png

| image2 = Life expectancy map -Africa -2020 -with names.png

| image3 = Life expectancy map -Africa -2021 -with names.png

| footer_align = center

| footer = Life expectancy in Africa in 2019–2021, according to estimation of the World Bank Group

}}

File:Africa population density, 2019.jpg

The Sahara Desert, covering most of North Africa, and the smaller Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa, are very sparsely populated. Heavily populated areas include the Mediterranean Sea coast, the Nile River valley and delta, Nigeria and vicinity and the southern coast of West Africa, Ethiopia, the greater East African Rift area, Madagascar, coastal and urban South Africa, and the Middle Africa megacities of Kinshasa and Luanda.

{{see|Projections of population growth|Population growth}}

{{see|List of African countries by population}}

{{GraphChart

| width = 450

| height = 150

| xAxisTitle=year

| yAxisTitle= million

| yAxisMin=

| yGrid= 0,1

| xGrid= 10

| legend=

| type = line

| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 228,232,238,243,248,254,260,266,271,278,284,291,298,306,313,321,330,338,347,356,365,375,385,395,406,418,430,442,454,468,482,496,511,525,540,556,572,

588,605,621,638,655,672,689,706,724,743,761,780,799,819,839,861,882,905,928,952,976,1002,1028,1055,1083,1111,1140,1170,1201,1232,1263,1295,1328,1361,1394

| y1Title= population (million)

}}

{{GraphChart

| width = 450

| height = 150

| xAxisTitle=years

| yAxisTitle= ‰

| yAxisMin=

| yGrid= 0,1

| xGrid= 10

| hAnnotatonsLine=

| hAnnotatonsLabel=

| legend=

| type = line

| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 21.5,21.8,22.3,22.7,23.0,23.4,23.6,23.4,23.7,24.4,24.6,24.9,25.2,25.5,25.8,25.9,25.8,25.9,26.2,26.3,26.5,26.9,26.9,27.3,27.5,27.8,28.2,28.5,28.7,28.9,

29.0,29.1,29.2,28.6,28.5,28.5,28.5,28.4,27.5,27.9,27.4,26.9,26.5,26.3,25.4,26.0,25.7,25.4,24.9,25.3,25.4,25.5,25.5,25.6,25.7,25.9,26.2,26.4,26.6,26.7,26.8,

26.8,26.7,26.6,26.4,26.2,25.8,25.6,25.4,25.2,24.6,23.9

| y1Title=Natural change (per 1000)

}}

{{GraphChart

| width = 450

| height = 150

| xAxisTitle=years

| yAxisTitle= ‰

| yAxisMin=

| yGrid= 0,1

| xGrid= 10

| hAnnotatonsLine=

| hAnnotatonsLabel=

| legend=

| type = line

| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 186.6,184.5,181.3,178.0,174.7,171.5,168.9,169.1,166.5,161.0,158.6,156.2,153.9,151.6,149.3,147.6,146.8,144.4,142.6,141.0,139.2,137.1,135.6,133.1,132.0,

129.6,126.1,123.6,121.3,118.7,116.4,114.2,111.7,114.1,112.0,109.8,107.0,103.0,105.1,100.5,99.8,100.4,99.7,97.4,96.5,95.0,94.0,92.4,91.7,88.3,85.9,83.4,80.9,

78.2,75.5,72.8,70.2,67.7,65.3,62.9,60.9,58.9,57.0,55.4,53.9,52.5,51.3,50.0,48.8,47.7,46.4,45.4

| y1Title=Infant Mortality (per 1000 live births)

}}

{{GraphChart

| width = 450

| height = 150

| xAxisTitle=years

| yAxisTitle= TFR

| yAxisMin=

| yGrid= 0,1

| xGrid= 10

| hAnnotatonsLine=

| hAnnotatonsLabel=

| legend=

| type = line

| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

| y1= 6.59,6.59,6.60,6.61,6.61,6.62,6.63,6.64,6.65,6.66,6.67,6.69,6.71,6.71,6.72,6.71,6.72,6.72,6.72,6.71,6.71,6.71,6.71,6.70,6.70,6.69,6.68,6.67,6.66,6.64,6.60,

6.56,6.51,6.47,6.41,6.34,6.26,6.20,6.11,6.02,5.91,5.83,5.76,5.67,5.59,5.51,5.42,5.34,5.27,5.22,5.18,5.14,5.10,5.06,5.02,5.00,4.97,4.95,4.93,4.89,4.86,4.82,4.77,4.72,4.67,4.63,4.56,4.52,4.47,4.42,4.36,4.31

| y1Title=Total Fertility Rate

}}

File:Population growth rate world 2018.svg

The increase in population is explosive, with a population under the age of 14 in the exponential growth phase, a difference from almost the rest of the world, which is already in balance (United States 1966, Europe 1969, Mexico 1990, Latin America 2000, India 2009, Asia 1977). {{Citation needed|date=February 2021|reason=What does 'in balance' refer to? Not clear what that designation means or refers to.}}

As of 2019, the total population of Africa is estimated at 1.3 billion, representing 16 percent of the world's population.{{cite web|url=https://population.un.org/wpp/Publications/|title=United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World Population Prospects, 2019|access-date=2021-01-31|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122210505/https://population.un.org/wpp/Publications/|url-status=live}} According to UN estimates, the population of Africa may reach 2.49 billion by 2050 (about 26% of the world's total) and 4.28 billion by 2100 (about 39% of the world's total). The number of babies born in Africa compared to the rest of the world is expected to reach approximately 37% in the year 2050.{{Cite news|date=2018-09-22|title=What to do about Africa's dangerous baby boom|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/09/22/what-to-do-about-africas-dangerous-baby-boom|access-date=2020-12-27|issn=0013-0613|archive-date=25 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925235351/https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/09/22/what-to-do-about-africas-dangerous-baby-boom|url-status=live}}

The population of Africa first surpassed one billion in 2009, with a doubling time of 27 years (growth rate 2.6% p.a.).{{Cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8366591.stm |title=Africa population tops a billion |publisher=BBC |date=18 November 2009 |access-date=18 November 2009 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109043159/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8366591.stm |url-status=live }}[https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/WPP2004/2004Highlights_finalrevised.pdf "World Population Prospects: The 2004 Revision"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822085804/http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/WPP2004/2004Highlights_finalrevised.pdf |date=22 August 2017 }} United Nations (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, population division)

Population growth has continued at almost the same pace, and total population is expected to surpass 2 billion by 2038 (doubling time 29 years, 2.4% p.a.).{{Cite web|url=https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/|title=World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations|website=esa.un.org|access-date=2017-11-29|archive-date=24 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124201358/https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/|url-status=live}}

Sub-Saharan Africa are expected to make more than half of the global population increase projected through 2050.{{cite book|url=https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/wpp2022_summary_of_results.pdf|title=World Population Prospects 2022. Summary of Results|location=New York|author=United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs}}

The reason for the uncontrolled population growth since the mid 20th century is the decrease of infant mortality and general increase of life expectancy without a corresponding reduction in fertility rate, due to a very limited use of contraceptives. Further factors generally associated with decreased fertility include wealth, education, and female labor participation.{{Cite journal|last1=Bloom|first1=David E.|last2=Canning|first2=David|last3=Fink|first3=Günther|last4=Finlay|first4=Jocelyn E.|date=2009-06-01|title=Fertility, female labor force participation, and the demographic dividend|journal=Journal of Economic Growth|language=en|volume=14|issue=2|pages=79–101|doi=10.1007/s10887-009-9039-9|issn=1573-7020|doi-access=free}} Uncontrolled population growth threatens to overwhelm infrastructure development and to cripple economic development.Eliya Zulu, [https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21745-how-to-defuse-sub-saharan-africas-population-bomb/ "How to defuse sub-Saharan Africa’s population bomb"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406230957/https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21745-how-to-defuse-sub-saharan-africas-population-bomb/ |date=6 April 2018 }}, New Scientist, 26 April 2012.

Jeffrey Gutman and Nirav Patel, [https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2018/01/26/foresight-africa-viewpoint-urban-africa-avoiding-the-perfect-storm/ "Urban Africa: Avoiding the perfect storm"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406230917/https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2018/01/26/foresight-africa-viewpoint-urban-africa-avoiding-the-perfect-storm/ |date=6 April 2018 }}, Foresight Africa, 26 January 2018. Kenya and Zambia are pursuing programs to promote family planning in an attempt to curb growth rates.Joseph J Bish, [https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/jan/11/population-growth-in-africa-grasping-the-scale-of-the-challenge "Population growth in Africa: grasping the scale of the challenge"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130093406/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/jan/11/population-growth-in-africa-grasping-the-scale-of-the-challenge |date=30 November 2016 }}, The Guardian, 11 January 2016. "African fertility has not fallen as expected. Precipitous declines in fertility in Asia and Latin America, from five children per woman in the 1970s to around 2.5 today, led many to believe Africa would follow a similar course. [...] Unfortunately, since the early 1990s, family planning programmes in Africa have not had the same attention [as in other parts of the world], resulting in slow, sometimes negligible, fertility declines. In a handful of countries, previous declines have stalled altogether and are reversing. [...] A few heroic efforts, such as Family Planning 2020, are attempting to stimulate family planning programmes across the continent, and there are some signs of success. Recent figures from Kenya and Zambia show substantial strengthening of contraceptive use among married women. In Kenya, 58% of married women now use modern contraception, and in Zambia this measure has risen from 33% to 45% in the last three years. In both cases, the catalysts for improvements were government commitment and commensurate budget financing. The virtuous circle may not be completely out of reach, but many more African governments must make haste and make substantial investments in contraceptive information and access for their people."

The extreme population growth in Africa is driven by East Africa, Middle Africa and West Africa, which regions are projected to more than quintuple their populations over the 21st century. The most extreme of these is Middle Africa, with an estimated population increase by 681%, from less than 100 million in 2000 to more than 750 million in 2100 (almost half of this figure is driven by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, projected to increase from 47 million in 2000 to 362 million in 2100). Projected population growth is less extreme in Southern Africa and North Africa, which are expected, respectively, to not quite double and triple their populations over the same period.

[[File:Life expectancy map -world -2021.png|thumb|350px|

Population estimates by region (in billions):

All but two countries in Africa had TFRs above replacement level in 2023 and accounted for 27.1% of global livebirths.{{cite web|url=https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30977-6/fulltext|title=Global age-sex-specific fertility, mortality, healthy life expectancy (HALE), and population estimates in 204 countries and territories, 1950-2019: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019|publisher=The Lancet}}

Image:Infantmortalityrate.jpg

{{Further|List of African countries by life expectancy|HIV/AIDS in Africa}}

In September 1987, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee announced the launching of the Bamako Initiative— chartered in response to financial issues occurring in the region during the 1980s, and with the aim of increasing access to vital medications through community involvement in revolving drug funds.{{Cite journal|last1=Hanson |first1=Kara |last2=McPake|first2=Barbara|date=1993|title=The Bamako Initiative: where is it going |journal=Health Policy and Planning|publisher=Oxford University Press|volume=8|issue=3 |pages=267–274|doi=10.1093/heapol/8.3.247-a |citeseerx=10.1.1.878.4969 }}{{Cite journal|last=Ridde|first=Valéry|date=2011|title=Is the Bamako Initiative Still Relevant for West African Health Systems?|url=http://www.medsp.umontreal.ca/IRSPUM_DB/pdf/29285.pdf|journal=International Journal of Health Services|publisher=Baywood Publishing Co., Inc.|volume=41|issue=1|pages=175–184|doi=10.2190/HS.41.1.l|pmid=21319728|s2cid=33498576|via=Google Scholar|access-date=16 April 2018|archive-date=17 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417022845/http://www.medsp.umontreal.ca/IRSPUM_DB/pdf/29285.pdf|url-status=live}} The 1987 Bamako Initiative conference, organized by the WHO was held in Bamako, the capital of Mali, and helped reshape the health policy of sub-Saharan Africa.{{Cite web |url= http://www.eldis.org/healthsystems/userfees/background.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061128203803/http://www.eldis.org/healthsystems/userfees/background.htm |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2006-11-28 |title= Health Systems Resource Guide: user fees|date=2006-11-28|access-date=2018-05-10}} The meeting was attended by African Ministers of Health who advocated for improvement of healthcare access through the revitalization of primary healthcare. The new strategy substantially increased accessibility through community-based healthcare reform, resulting in more efficient and equitable provision of services. The public health community within the region raised issues in response to the initiative, of which included: equity, access, affordability, integration issues, relative importance given to medications, management, dependency, logistics, and sustainability. As a result of these critiques, the Initiative later transformed to address the increase of accessibility of health services, the enhancement of quality of health services, and the overall improvement of health system management. A comprehensive approach strategy was extended to all areas of health care, with subsequent improvement in the health care indicators and improvement in health care efficiency and cost.{{Cite journal |last1=Knippenberg |first1=R. |last2=Alihonou |first2=E. |last3=Soucat |first3=A. |last4=Oyegbite |first4=K. |last5=Calivis |first5=M. |last6=Hopwood|first6=I.|last7=Niimi|first7=R.|last8=Diallo|first8=M. P. |last9=Conde|first9=M.|date=June 1997|title=Implementation of the Bamako Initiative: strategies in Benin and Guinea|journal=The International Journal of Health Planning and Management|volume=12 Suppl 1|issue=S1 |pages=S29–47 |doi=10.1002/(SICI)1099-1751(199706)12:1+3.0.CO;2-U|issn=0749-6753|pmid=10173105}}{{Cite web |url= http://www.medicusmundi.ch/mms/services/bulletin/bulletin200201/kap01/07kuechler.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071008211344/http://www.medicusmundi.ch/mms/services/bulletin/bulletin200201/kap01/07kuechler.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2007-10-08 |title=Medicus Mundi Switzerland – Manageable Bamako Initiative schemes|date=2007-10-08 |access-date=2018-05-10}}

The Eastern African, Central African, Western African and Southern African regions experience disproportionate rates of infectious and chronic diseases in comparison to other global regions.

Type 2 diabetes persists as an epidemic in the region posing a public health and socioeconomic crisis for Sub-Saharan Africa. Scarcity of data for pathogenesis and subtypes for diabetes in Sub-Saharan African communities has led to gaps in documenting epidemiology for the disease. High rates of undiagnosed diabetes in many countries leaves individuals at a high risk of chronic health complications, thus, posing a high risk of diabetes-related morbidity and mortality in the region.{{Cite journal|last1=Mbanya|first1=Jean Claude N|last2=Motala|first2=Ayesha A|last3=Sobngwi|first3=Eugene|last4=Assah|first4=Felix K|last5=Enoru|first5=Sostanie T|date=2010-06-26|title=Diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa|journal=The Lancet|volume=375|issue=9733|pages=2254–2266|doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(10)60550-8|pmid=20609971|s2cid=28615389|issn=0140-6736}}

In 2011, Africa was home to 69% of all people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.{{Cite web|url=http://files.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/epidemiology/2012/gr2012/20121120_FactSheet_Global_en.pdf|title=Global Fact Sheet: World AIDS Day 2012|last=UNAIDS|website=UNAIDS.org|access-date=10 May 2018|archive-date=29 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729194221/http://files.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/epidemiology/2012/gr2012/20121120_FactSheet_Global_en.pdf|url-status=live}} In response, a number of initiatives have been launched to educate the public on HIV/AIDS. Among these are combination prevention programmes, considered to be the most effective initiative, the abstinence, be faithful, use a condom campaign, and the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation's outreach programs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.desmondtutuhivcentre.org.za/page/work/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116014630/https://www.desmondtutuhivcentre.org.za/page/work/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-01-16|title=Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation – Our Work|date=2013-01-16|access-date=2018-05-10}} According to a 2013 special report issued by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the number of HIV positive people in Africa receiving anti-retroviral treatment in 2012 was over seven times the number receiving treatment in 2005, with an almost 1 million added in the last year alone.{{Cite web|url=http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2013/may/20130521prupdateafrica|title=UNAIDS reports more than 7 million people now on HIV treatment across Africa––with nearly 1 million added in the last year—while new HIV infections and deaths from AIDS continue to fall|website=www.unaids.org|language=en|access-date=2018-05-10|archive-date=7 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207073259/http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2013/may/20130521prupdateafrica|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://files.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2013/20130521_Update_Africa.pdf|title=UNAIDS Special Report Update: How Africa Turned AIDS Around|last=UN Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)|date=May 2013|access-date=10 May 2018|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010214938/http://files.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2013/20130521_Update_Africa.pdf|url-status=live}} The number of AIDS-related deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2011 was 33 percent less than the number in 2005.{{Cite book|title=Global report : UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic : 2012.|date=2012|publisher=UNAIDS|others=Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.|isbn=9789291735921|location=[Geneva]|oclc=823635323}} The number of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa in 2011 was 25 percent less than the number in 2001.

Malaria is an endemic illness in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the majority of malaria cases and deaths worldwide occur.{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria|title=Fact sheet about Malaria|website=World Health Organization|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-10|archive-date=4 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804185412/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs094/en/|url-status=live}}

File:Total Fertility Rate Map by Country.svg]]

Studies show that more than half of the world's maternal deaths occur in Sub-Saharan Africa.{{Cite journal|last1=Alvarez|first1=Jose Luis|last2=Gil|first2=Ruth|last3=Hernández|first3=Valentín|last4=Gil|first4=Angel|date=2009-12-14|title=Factors associated with maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa: an ecological study |journal=BMC Public Health|volume=9|pages=462|doi=10.1186/1471-2458-9-462 |pmc=2801510|pmid=20003411 |doi-access=free }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality|title=Maternal mortality|website=World Health Organization|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-10|archive-date=22 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422182048/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs348/en/|url-status=live}} However progress has been made in this area, as maternal mortality rates have decreased for multiple countries in the region by about half since 1990. Additionally, the African Union ratified the Maputo Protocol in July 2003, which pledges to prohibit female genital mutilation.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/15/opinion/a-brutal-custom-join-forces-to-banish-the-mutilation-of-women.html|title=A brutal custom : Join forces to banish the mutilation of women|last=Bonino|first=Emma|date=2004-09-15|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-05-10|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=15 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915225755/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/15/opinion/a-brutal-custom-join-forces-to-banish-the-mutilation-of-women.html|url-status=live}}

The Sub-Saharan African region alone accounts for about 45% of global infant and child mortalities. Studies have shown a relationship between infant survival and the education of mothers, as years of education positively correlate with infant survival rates. Geographic location is also a factor, as child mortality rates are higher in rural areas in comparison to urban regions.{{Cite book|title=Black lives matter : lifespan perspectives|others=Fairchild, Halford H.|year=2017|isbn=9789382661405|location=Delhi, India|oclc=984759607}}

Routine immunization has been introduced to countries within Sub-Saharan Africa in order to prevent measles outbreaks within the region.{{Cite journal |last1=Verguet|first1=Stéphane|last2=Jassat|first2=Waasila|last3=Hedberg|first3=Calle|last4=Tollman|first4=Stephen |last5=Jamison|first5=Dean T.|last6=Hofman|first6=Karen J.|date=2012-02-21|title=Measles control in Sub-Saharan Africa: South Africa as a case study|journal=Vaccine|volume=30|issue=9|pages=1594–1600|doi=10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.12.123|issn=1873-2518|pmid=22230581}}

Neglected tropical diseases such as hookworm infection encompass some of the most common health conditions which affect an estimated 500 million individuals in the sub-Saharan African region.{{Cite journal|last1=Hotez|first1=Peter J.|last2=Kamath|first2=Aruna|date=2009-08-25|title=Neglected Tropical Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: Review of Their Prevalence, Distribution, and Disease Burden |journal=PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases|language=en|volume=3|issue=8|pages=e412|doi=10.1371/journal.pntd.0000412 |pmc=2727001|pmid=19707588 |doi-access=free }}

Results of Global Burden of Disease studies reveal that the age-standardized death rates of non-communicable diseases in at least four Sub-Saharan countries including South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Ethiopia supersede that of identified high-income countries.{{Cite journal |last1=Dalal |first1=Shona |last2=Beunza |first2=Juan Jose |last3=Volmink |first3=Jimmy |last4=Adebamowo |first4=Clement |last5=Bajunirwe |first5=Francis |last6=Njelekela|first6=Marina|last7=Mozaffarian |first7=Dariush |last8=Fawzi |first8=Wafaie |last9=Willett|first9=Walter|date=2011-08-01|title=Non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: what we know now|journal=International Journal of Epidemiology|language=en|volume=40|issue=4|pages=885–901|doi=10.1093/ije/dyr050|pmid=21527446 |issn=0300-5771|doi-access=free }} Improvement in statistics systems and increase in epidemiological studies with in-depth analysis of disease risk factors could improve the understanding of non-communicable diseases (i.e.: diabetes, hypertension, cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, etc.) in sub-Saharan Africa as well as better inform decisions surrounding healthcare policy in the region.

Onchocerciasis ("river blindness"), a common cause of blindness, is also endemic to parts of the region. More than 99% of people affected by the illness worldwide live in 31 countries therein.{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/onchocerciasis|title=Onchocerciasis (river blindness)|website=World Health Organization|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-10|archive-date=22 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422191956/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs374/en/|url-status=live}} In response, the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) was launched in 1995 with the aim of controlling the disease.

Tuberculosis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality on a global scale, especially in high HIV-prevalent populations in the sub-Saharan African region, with a high case fatality rate.{{Cite journal|last1=Mukadi|first1=Ya Diul|last2=Maher|first2=Dermot|last3=Harries|first3=Anthony|date=2001-01-26|title=Tuberculosis case fatality rates in high HIV prevalence populations in sub-Saharan Africa|journal=AIDS|language=en-US|volume=15|issue=2|pages=143–52|issn=0269-9370|doi=10.1097/00002030-200101260-00002|pmid=11216921|s2cid=7210410|doi-access=free}}

National health systems vary between countries. In Ghana, most health care is provided by the government and largely administered by the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Services. The healthcare system has five levels of providers: health posts which are first level primary care for rural areas, health centers and clinics, district hospitals, regional hospitals and tertiary hospitals. These programs are funded by the government of Ghana, financial credits, Internally Generated Fund (IGF), and Donors-pooled Health Fund.{{Cite journal|last1=Canagarajah|first1=Sudharshan|last2=Ye|first2=Xiao|date=2001-04-01|title=Public Health and Education Spending in Ghana in 1992–98: Issues of Equity and Efficiency|ssrn=632648|language=en}}

A shortage of health professionals compounded by migration of health workers from sub-Saharan Africa to other parts of the world (namely English-speaking nations such as the United States and the United Kingdom) has negatively impacted productivity and efficacy of the region's health systems.{{Cite journal|last1=Naicker|first1=Saraladevi|last2=Plange-Rhule|first2=Jacob|last3=Tutt|first3=Roger C.|last4=Eastwood|first4=John B.|date=2009|title=Shortage of healthcare workers in developing countries—Africa|journal=Ethnicity & Disease|volume=19|issue=1 Suppl 1|pages=S1–60–4|issn=1049-510X|pmid=19484878}}

More than 85% of individuals in Africa use traditional medicine as an alternative to often expensive allopathic medical health care and costly pharmaceutical products. The Organization of African Unity (OAU) Heads of State and Government declared the 2000s decade as the African Decade on African Traditional Medicine in an effort to promote The [https://www.afro.who.int/ WHO African Region]’s adopted resolution for institutionalizing traditional medicine in health care systems across the continent.{{Cite journal|last=Kofi-Tsekpo|first=Mawuli|date=2004|title=Institutionalization of African traditional medicine in health care systems in Africa|journal=African Journal of Health Sciences|volume=11|issue=1–2|pages=i–ii|issn=1022-9272|pmid=17298111|doi=10.4314/ajhs.v11i1.30772}} Public policy makers in the region are challenged with consideration of the importance of traditional/indigenous health systems and whether their coexistence with the modern medical and health sub-sector would improve the equitability and accessibility of health care distribution, the health status of populations, and the social-economic development of nations within sub-Saharan Africa.{{Cite journal|last=Dunlop|first=David W.|date=November 1975|title=Alternatives to "modern" health delivery systems in Africa: Public policy issues of traditional health systems|journal=Social Science & Medicine|volume=9|issue=11–12|pages=581–586|doi=10.1016/0037-7856(75)90171-7|pmid=817397|issn=0037-7856}}

File:Africa HIV-AIDS 2002.svg|Map of Africa colored according to the percentage of the adult (ages 15–49) population with HIV/AIDS (Map of 2002).{{Cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DYN.AIDS.ZS|title=Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population ages 15-49){{!}} Data|website=data.worldbank.org|language=en-us|access-date=2018-05-09|archive-date=29 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629102325/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DYN.AIDS.ZS/countries|url-status=live}}

File:Life expectancy in select Southern African countries 1960-2012.svg|Life expectancy has fallen drastically in Southern Africa a result of HIV/AIDS.{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/193181.stm|title=BBC News {{!}} Health {{!}} Life expectancy in Africa plummets due to Aids|website=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=2018-05-09|archive-date=10 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510051910/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/193181.stm|url-status=live}}

{{main|List of ethnic groups of Africa}}

{{Further|Languages of Africa}}File:Kwarastatedrummers.jpg drummers in Kwara State, Nigeria (2004).]]

File:Bedscha.jpg nomads from Northeast Africa|left]]

Speakers of Bantu languages (part of the Niger–Congo family) predominate in southern, central and southeast Africa. The Bantu farmers from West Africa's inland savanna progressively expanded over most of Africa.Luc-Normand Tellier (2009). "[https://books.google.com/books?id=cXuCjDbxC1YC Urban world history: an economic and geographical perspective]". PUQ. p.204. {{ISBN|2-7605-1588-5}}. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113164106/https://books.google.com/books?id=cXuCjDbxC1YC&pg=&dq&hl=en |date=13 January 2017 }} But there are also several Nilotic groups in South Sudan and East Africa, the mixed Swahili people on the Swahili Coast, and a few remaining indigenous Khoisan (San and Khoikhoi) and Pygmy peoples in southern and central Africa, respectively. Native Bantu-speaking Africans also predominate in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and are found in parts of southern Cameroon. In the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, the distinct people known as the "San" have long been present. Together with the Khoikhoi, they form the Khoisan. The San are the pre-Bantu indigenous people of southern Africa, while Pygmies are the pre-Bantu indigenous African peoples of Central Africa.[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article402970.ece Pygmies struggle to survive in war zone where abuse is routine]. Times Online. 16 December 2004. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525095020/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article402970.ece |date=25 May 2010 }}

The peoples of West Africa primarily speak Niger–Congo languages belonging mostly, though not exclusively, to its non-Bantu branches, though some Nilo-Saharan and Afroasiatic-speaking groups are also found. The Niger–Congo-speaking Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani, Akan and Wolof ethnic groups are the largest and most influential. In the central Sahara, Mandinka or Mande groups are most significant. Chadic-speaking groups, including the Hausa, are found in the more northerly parts of the region nearest to the Sahara and Nilo-Saharan communities such as the Kanuri,{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/nigeria/|title=The World Factbook|date=2 March 2023 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/|title=The World Factbook|access-date=24 January 2021|archive-date=30 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330032003/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niger/|url-status=live}} Zarma and Songhai{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mali/|title=The World Factbook|access-date=24 January 2021|archive-date=30 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210330032030/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mali/|url-status=live}} are present in eastern parts of West Africa bordering Central Africa.

The peoples of North Africa comprise three main groups: Berbers in the northwest, Egyptians and Libyans in northeast, and Nilo-Saharan-speaking peoples in the east. The non-native Muslim settlers who arrived in the 7th century introduced the Arabic language and Islam to the region, initiating a process of linguistic Arabization of the region's inhabitants. The Semitic Phoenicians (who founded Carthage) and Hyksos, the Indo-Iranian Alans, the Indo-European Greeks, Romans and Vandals settled in North Africa as well. Berber-speaking populations still make significant communities within Morocco and Algeria and are still also present in smaller numbers in Tunisia and Libya.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3509799.stm Q&A: The Berbers]. BBC News. 12 March 2004. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112181804/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3509799.stm |date=12 January 2018 }} The Berber-speaking Tuareg and other often-nomadic peoples are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa. In Mauritania, there is a small Berber community and Niger–Congo-speaking peoples in the South, though in both regions Arabic and Arab culture predominates. In Sudan, although Arabic and Arab culture predominates, it is also inhabited by originally Nilo-Saharan-speaking groups such as the Nubians, Fur, Masalit and ZaghawaJohn A. Shoup, Ethnic Groups of Africa and the Middle East (2011), p. 333, {{ISBN|159884363X}}: "The Zaghawa is one of the major divisions of the Beri peoples who live in western Sudan and eastern Chad, and their language, also called Zaghawa, belongs to the Saharan branch of the Nilo-Saharan language group." who over the centuries have variously intermixed with migrants from the Arabian peninsula. Small communities of Afro-Asiatic-speaking Beja nomads can also be found in Egypt and Sudan.File:Mongo family in Equateur Province.jpg family in the Province of Équateur, DRC|left|200x200px]]

In the Horn of Africa, Afro-Asiatic-speaking groups predominate. Ethiopian and Eritrean groups like the Amhara and Tigrayans (collectively known as Habesha) speak languages from the Semitic branch of Afro-Asiatic language family, while the Oromo and Somali speak languages from the Cushitic branch of Afro-Asiatic. In southern Ethiopia and Eritrea, Nilotic peoples related to those in South Sudan are also found, while Bantu and Khoisan ethnic minorities inhabit parts of southern Somalia near the Kenyan border.File:San tribesman.jpg man from Botswana.]]

Prior to the decolonization movements of the post-World War II era, Europeans were represented in every part of Africa.[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901759-3,00.html "We Want Our Country" (3 of 10)]. Time. 5 November 1965. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723000220/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,901759-3,00.html |date=23 July 2013 }} Decolonisation during the 1960s and 1970s often resulted in the mass emigration of European-descended settlers out of Africa – especially from Algeria and Morocco (1.6 million pieds-noirs in North Africa),Raimondo Cagiano De Azevedo (1994). "[https://books.google.com/books?id=N8VHizsqaH0C&pg=PA25 Migration and development co-operation.]". Council of Europe. p.25. {{ISBN|92-871-2611-9}}. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113170203/https://books.google.com/books?id=N8VHizsqaH0C&pg=PA25&dq&hl=en |date=13 January 2017 }} Kenya, Congo,[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826488-4,00.html Jungle Shipwreck]. Time. 25 July 1960. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722210703/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826488-4,00.html |date=22 July 2013 }} Rhodesia, Mozambique and Angola.[http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12079340 Flight from Angola], The Economist , 16 August 1975, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723131954/http://www.economist.com/node/12079340?story_id=12079340 |date=23 July 2013 }} By the end of 1977, more than one million Portuguese were thought to have returned from Africa.[http://countrystudies.us/portugal/48.htm Portugal – Emigration], Eric Solsten, ed. Portugal: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1993. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629081956/http://countrystudies.us/portugal/48.htm |date=29 June 2011 }} Nevertheless, people in Africa of European descent remain a minority in many African states, particularly South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Réunion.{{Cite book | first = John A. | last = Holm | title = Pidgins and Creoles: References survey | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PcD7p9y3EIcC&pg=PA394 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year = 1989 | page = 394 | isbn = 978-0-521-35940-5 | access-date = 21 October 2016 | archive-date = 5 September 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150905192604/https://books.google.com/books?id=PcD7p9y3EIcC&pg=PA394 | url-status = live }} South Africa has the largest population of white people in Africa.[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/south-africa/ South Africa: People: Ethnic Groups.] World Factbook of CIA. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110042951/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/south-africa |date=10 January 2021 }} The Boers or Afrikaners, the British diaspora and the Coloureds (multiracial) are the largest European-descended groups in Africa today.

File:Toutrek.jpg children in Namibia]]

File:Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Community reception in Nairobi (3).jpg greeting members of the Indian community in Nairobi, Kenya]]

File:Coloured-family.jpg family in Cape Town, South Africa]]

European colonization also brought sizable groups of Asians, particularly people from the Indian subcontinent, to British colonies. Large Indian communities are found in South Africa, and smaller ones are present in Kenya, Tanzania, and some other southern and East African countries. The large Indian community in Uganda was expelled by the dictator Idi Amin in 1972, though many have since returned. The islands in the Indian Ocean are also populated primarily by people of Asian origin, often mixed with Africans and Europeans. The Malagasy people of Madagascar are Austronesian people and native African people, but those along the coast are generally mixed with Bantu, Arab, Indian and European origins. Malay and Indian ancestries are also important components in the group of people known in South Africa as Cape Coloureds (people with origins in two or more races and continents). Beginning with the 21st century many Hispanics, primarily Mexicans, Central Americans, Chileans, Peruvians, and Colombians, have immigrated to Africa. Around 500,000 Hispanics have immigrated to Africa, most of whom live in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Ghana. During the 20th century, small but economically important communities of Lebanese and Chinese"[http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=690 China and Africa: Stronger Economic Ties Mean More Migration]". By Malia Politzer, Migration Information Source. August 2008. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129114909/http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=690 |date=29 January 2014 }} have also developed in the larger coastal cities of West and East Africa, respectively."[https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2007-07-10-voa46/406056.html Lebanese Immigrants Boost West African Commerce] ", By Naomi Schwarz, VOANews.com, 10 July 2007

{{main|Languages of Africa}}

{{ethnolinguistic groups in Africa}}

There are three major linguistic phyla native to Africa: Niger–Congo languages (including Bantu) in West, Central, Southeast and Southern Africa; Nilo-Saharan languages (unity debated) spoken from Tanzania to Sudan and from Chad to Mali; Khoisan languages (probably no phylogenetic unit, see Khoe languages), concentrated in the Kalahari Desert of Namibia and Botswana; There are several other small families and language isolates, as well as languages that have yet to be classified.

In addition, the Afroasiatic languages are spread throughout Western Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and parts of the Sahel. The Afroasiatic homeland may be either in Western Asia or in Africa.

More recently introduced to Africa are Austronesian languages spoken in Madagascar, as well as Indo-European languages spoken in South Africa and Namibia (Afrikaans, English, German), which were used as lingua francas in former European colonies.

The total number of languages natively spoken in Africa is variously estimated (depending on the delineation of language vs. dialect) at between 1,250 and 2,100,{{cite book|title=African Languages: an Introduction|editor-last=Heine|editor-first=Bernd|editor2-last=Heine|editor2-first=Bernd|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2000}} and by some counts at "over 3,000",{{cite book|title=The Language of African Literature|page=ix|editor-last=Epstein|editor-first=Edmund L.|editor2-last=Kole|editor2-first=Robert|publisher=Africa World Press|year=1998|isbn=978-0-86543-534-6|quote=Africa is incredibly rich in language—over 3,000 indigenous languages by some counts, and many creoles, pidgins, and lingua francas.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XkkrDH27jmIC&pg=PR9|access-date=2011-06-23}} Nigeria alone has over 500 languages (according to the count of SIL Ethnologue),{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=nigeria |title=Ethnologue report for Nigeria |work=Ethnologue Languages of the World |access-date=10 April 2018 |archive-date=20 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220033002/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Nigeria |url-status=live }}

Around a hundred languages are widely used for inter-ethnic communication. Arabic, Somali, Berber, Amharic, Oromo, Igbo, Swahili, Hausa, Manding, Fulani and Yoruba are spoken by tens of millions of people. Twelve dialect clusters (which may group up to a hundred linguistic varieties) are spoken by 75 percent, and fifteen by 85 percent, of Africans as a first or additional language.{{cite web |date=1 January 2004 |title=Human Development Report 2004 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/human-development-report-2004-english.human-development-report-2004-english |access-date=22 March 2023 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |page=63, Box 3.8}}

Niger–Congo is the largest phylum of African languages, with more than 500 million speakers (2017); it is dominated by the Bantu branch, spread throughout sub-Saharan Africa in the Bantu expansion, Bantu speakers accounting for about half of Niger–Congo speakers. Arabic is the most widely spoken single language in Africa by far, with a population of Arab Africa of the order of 330 million (2017). Other Afroasiatic languages are spoken by of the order of 100 million speakers in Africa (2017). Nilo-Saharan are spoken by of the order of 100 million speakers (2017). Khoisan groups a number of mostly endangered click languages, the largest being Khoekhoe with of the order of 300,000 speakers (2016).

Former colonial languages, such as English, French and Portuguese, are used as official languages in many African nations, and are spoken by a fifth of Africans.{{Cite web |last=Oluwole |first=Victor |date=2021-09-12 |title=A comprehensive list of all the English-speaking countries in Africa |url=https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/a-comprehensive-list-of-all-the-english-speaking-countries-in-africa/hdp1610 |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Business Insider Africa |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Stein-Smith |first=Kathleen |date=2022-03-17 |title=Africa and the French language are growing together in global importance |url=http://theconversation.com/africa-and-the-french-language-are-growing-together-in-global-importance-179224 |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}{{Cite web |last1=Babbel.com |last2=GmbH |first2=Lesson Nine |title=How Many People Speak Portuguese, And Where Is It Spoken? |url=https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/how-many-people-speak-portuguese-and-where-is-it-spoken |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Babbel Magazine |language=en}}{{Efn|The previous three references show that there a total of 130 million English speakers, 120 million French speakers, and over 30 million Portuguese speakers in Africa, making them about 20% of Africa's 2022 population of 1.4 billion people.}}

{{Main|Religion in Africa|Traditional African religions|Islam in Africa|Christianity in Africa}}

{{Portal|Africa}}

{{Commons category|Demographics of Africa}}

• Capoid
• Congoid
• Child marriage in Africa
• Poverty in Africa
• Demographics of the Middle East and North Africa
• History of Africa
• Genetic history of North Africa
• Youth in Africa
• Genetic history of Africa

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