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.
Ethiopia’s capital and largest city, Addis Ababa, has seen its population swell to an estimated 5,956,680 in 2025, according to the latest revision of the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. The figure marks a 4.44 per cent increase over the past year, with the city adding approximately 253,050 residents.
The new estimate reflects the city’s sustained urban growth and confirms its position as one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in Africa. Addis Ababa’s population has expanded dramatically since 1950, when it was home to just 392,000 people.
Despite earlier census data, including the 2007 national count, which put the city’s population at roughly 3.38 million, being widely regarded as an underestimate, recent projections highlight a trajectory that brings the population closer to 6 million in under two decades.
Addis Ababa functions as both a city and a state under Ethiopia’s federal system, spanning approximately 527 square kilometers. With its current population density estimated at around 5,165 people per square kilometer, the city faces mounting challenges related to housing, infrastructure, and urban planning.
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