10 African countries with the youngest population in 2024

Have you ever come across the saying "the world is becoming more African"? If not, it implies that Africa's growing youthful and vibrant population would greatly impact the global workforce in the years to come.

Africa is currently experiencing massive population growth. According to United Nations estimates, the continent's population is projected to double by 2050, reaching over 2.5 billion people. This surge is driven by factors such as high fertility rates, declining mortality rates, and an increasing number of young people entering reproductive age.

About 60% of the entire continent is below the age of 25, making Africa the youngest continent in the world in terms of its population makeup. By 2075, one-third of the world's population-and the working-age population-will be African.

According to the World Bank, the population of young people aged 15-24 in Africa is projected to reach 500 million in 2080. The working age population of 25-64 will only peak after 2100 at about 1.5 billion people.

Interestingly, Africa is the only region where the workforce will grow continuously in the coming decades. This gives Africa an enormous opportunity to drive economic growth.

The World Bank says, that if the people are healthy, educated, and skilled, this projected working-age population can be the long-awaited big push to accelerate the region's economic growth.

According to Statista 25 countries with the lowest median age in Africa are also the countries with the lowest median age worldwide.

On the continent, Niger has the youngest population with a median age of 14.9 years, followed by Uganda at 15.7 years and Angola at 15.9 years. This indicates that at this age point, half of the population is younger and half older.

Below are 10 African countries with the youngest population in 2024:

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