The population of Africa has grown rapidly over the past century[1] and consequently shows a large youth bulge, further reinforced by increasing life expectancy in most African countries.

The website Our World in Data prepared the following estimates based on statistics from the Population Department of the United Nations.

[13] The number of babies born in Africa compared to the rest of the world is expected to reach approximately 37% in the year 2050.

[16] 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.

[18] Kenya and Zambia are pursuing programs to promote family planning in an attempt to curb growth rates.

[13] 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.

[23][24] The new strategy substantially increased accessibility through community-based healthcare reform, resulting in more efficient and equitable provision of services.

[28] 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.

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.

[36][37] 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.

[37] Additionally, the African Union ratified the Maputo Protocol in July 2003, which pledges to prohibit female genital mutilation.

Geographic location is also a factor, as child mortality rates are higher in rural areas in comparison to urban regions.

[40] 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.

More than 85% of individuals in Africa use traditional medicine as an alternative to often expensive allopathic medical health care and costly pharmaceutical products.

[51] 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 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.

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.Prior to the decolonization movements of the post-World War II era, Europeans were represented in every part of Africa.

Large Indian communities are found in South Africa, and smaller ones are present in Kenya, Tanzania, and some other southern and East African countries.

Beginning with the 21st century many Hispanics, primarily Mexicans, Central Americans, Chileans, Peruvians, and Colombians, have immigrated to Africa.

During the 20th century, small but economically important communities of Lebanese and Chinese[64] have also developed in the larger coastal cities of West and East Africa, respectively.

Arabic, Somali, Berber, Amharic, Oromo, Igbo, Swahili, Hausa, Manding, Fulani and Yoruba are spoken by tens of millions of people.