Africa is on the cusp of a historic population boom, one that is already reshaping its urban centers and redefining its global significance.
With a total population of 1.5 billion as of 2024, growing by 100 million every three years, the continent has become the focal point for the next wave of global innovation, business, and finance.
This article highlights the most likely hotspots for population bursts across Africa, its largest and fastest-growing cities.
Initial projections showed that by 2025, each of the top 10 cities will be home to millions, with the top cities already exceeding 4 million residents.
These urban centers are absorbing the lion’s share of the continent’s growth, signaling where infrastructure, investment, and innovation will be most urgently needed.
By 2050, Africa’s population is expected to reach 2.5 billion, with 80% of that growth concentrated in cities. Countries like Nigeria, projected to have an urban population of 250 million, and Egypt, with 147 million, will rank among the most urbanized nations globally.
Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is one of the largest and most densely populated cities in Africa. Situated along the eastern bank of the Nile River, approximately 500 miles (800 kilometers) north of the Aswan High Dam, the city has stood on its current site for over a thousand years. It serves as a major gateway to the Nile Delta, where the river splits into the Rosetta and Damietta branches.
Metropolitan Cairo encompasses the Cairo governorate and extends into neighboring areas within the Al-Jīzah and Qalūbiyyah governorates.
The Cairo governorate alone covers 83 square miles (214 square kilometers). According to recent estimates, the city’s total urban population stands at 23 million, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world.
This is not true, Kano Nigeria also has more than 10 million people and it is not in the list
This is not true, Kano Nigeria also has more than 10 million people and it is not on the list