There are 54 countries in Africa continent today, according to the United Nations.
But why do some sources list 55 countries in Africa?
But why do some sources list 55 countries in Africa?
54 or 55? Which Number Is Correct?
The difference comes from how sources count countries and political entities, including the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which is included in the African Union’s membership.
- 54 countries: There are 54 African countries that are members of the United Nations.
- 55 African Union members: The African Union has 55 member states, including the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which claims sovereignty over Western Sahara.
The full list is shown in the table below.
Complete List of African Countries
Explore African countries and their national flags, capitals, subregions, total areas, 2026 population estimates, languages, currencies, calling codes, and ISO codes. Search for a country or use the filters to explore the list.
54 countries
| No. | Flag | Country / Area | Capital / Seat | Subregion / Classification | Total Area (km²) | Population (2026 est.) | Language | Currency | Calling Code | ISO Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Algeria | Algiers | Northern Africa | 2,381,741 | 48.2 million | Arabic, Tamazight | Algerian dinar (DZD) | +213 | DZ | |
| 2 | Egypt | Cairo | Northern Africa | 1,001,450 | 120.7 million | Arabic | Egyptian pound (EGP) | +20 | EG | |
| 3 | Libya | Tripoli | Northern Africa | 1,759,540 | 7.6 million | Arabic | Libyan dinar (LYD) | +218 | LY | |
| 4 | Morocco | Rabat | Northern Africa | 446,550 | 38.8 million | Arabic, Tamazight | Moroccan dirham (MAD) | +212 | MA | |
| 5 | Sudan | Khartoum | Northern Africa | 1,886,068 | 53.2 million | Arabic, English | Sudanese pound (SDG) | +249 | SD | |
| 6 | Tunisia | Tunis | Northern Africa | 163,610 | 12.4 million | Arabic | Tunisian dinar (TND) | +216 | TN | |
| 7 | Benin | Porto-Novo | Western Africa | 112,622 | 15.2 million | French | West African CFA franc (XOF) | +229 | BJ | |
| 8 | Burkina Faso | Ouagadougou | Western Africa | 274,223 | 24.7 million | French | West African CFA franc (XOF) | +226 | BF | |
| 9 | Cabo Verde | Praia | Western Africa | 4,033 | 529,630 | Portuguese | Cabo Verdean escudo (CVE) | +238 | CV | |
| 10 | Côte d’Ivoire | Yamoussoukro | Western Africa | 322,463 | 33.7 million | French | West African CFA franc (XOF) | +225 | CI | |
| 11 | The Gambia | Banjul | Western Africa | 11,295 | 2.9 million | English | Dalasi (GMD) | +220 | GM | |
| 12 | Ghana | Accra | Western Africa | 238,533 | 35.8 million | English | Ghanaian cedi (GHS) | +233 | GH | |
| 13 | Guinea | Conakry | Western Africa | 245,857 | 15.5 million | French | Guinean franc (GNF) | +224 | GN | |
| 14 | Guinea-Bissau | Bissau | Western Africa | 36,125 | 2.3 million | Portuguese | West African CFA franc (XOF) | +245 | GW | |
| 15 | Liberia | Monrovia | Western Africa | 111,369 | 5.8 million | English | Liberian dollar (LRD) | +231 | LR | |
| 16 | Mali | Bamako | Western Africa | 1,240,192 | 26.1 million | Bambara, French | West African CFA franc (XOF) | +223 | ML | |
| 17 | Mauritania | Nouakchott | Western Africa | 1,030,700 | 5.5 million | Arabic | Ouguiya (MRU) | +222 | MR | |
| 18 | Niger | Niamey | Western Africa | 1,267,000 | 29 million | French | West African CFA franc (XOF) | +227 | NE | |
| 19 | Nigeria | Abuja | Western Africa | 923,768 | 243.7 million | English | Naira (NGN) | +234 | NG | |
| 20 | Senegal | Dakar | Western Africa | 196,768 | 19.4 million | French | West African CFA franc (XOF) | +221 | SN | |
| 21 | Sierra Leone | Freetown | Western Africa | 71,740 | 9.0 million | English | Leone (SLE) | +232 | SL | |
| 22 | Togo | Lomé | Western Africa | 56,785 | 9.9 million | French | West African CFA franc (XOF) | +228 | TG | |
| 23 | Burundi | Gitega | Eastern Africa | 27,834 | 14.8 million | Kirundi, French, English | Burundian franc (BIF) | +257 | BI | |
| 24 | Comoros | Moroni | Eastern Africa | 1,861 | 903,390 | Comorian, Arabic, French | Comorian franc (KMF) | +269 | KM | |
| 25 | Djibouti | Djibouti | Eastern Africa | 23,200 | 1.2 million | Arabic, French | Djiboutian franc (DJF) | +253 | DJ | |
| 26 | Eritrea | Asmara | Eastern Africa | 117,600 | 3.7 million | Tigrinya, Arabic, English | Nakfa (ERN) | +291 | ER | |
| 27 | Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | Eastern Africa | 1,104,300 | 139.8 million | Amharic | Birr (ETB) | +251 | ET | |
| 28 | Kenya | Nairobi | Eastern Africa | 580,367 | 58.6 million | Swahili, English | Kenyan shilling (KES) | +254 | KE | |
| 29 | Madagascar | Antananarivo | Eastern Africa | 587,041 | 33.8 million | Malagasy, French | Ariary (MGA) | +261 | MG | |
| 30 | Malawi | Lilongwe | Eastern Africa | 118,484 | 22.9 million | English, Chichewa | Kwacha (MWK) | +265 | MW | |
| 31 | Mauritius | Port Louis | Eastern Africa | 2,040 | 1.3 million | English, French, Mauritian Creole | Mauritian rupee (MUR) | +230 | MU | |
| 32 | Mozambique | Maputo | Eastern Africa | 801,590 | 36.6 million | Portuguese | Metical (MZN) | +258 | MZ | |
| 33 | Rwanda | Kigali | Eastern Africa | 26,338 | 15 million | Kinyarwanda, English, French, Swahili | Rwandan franc (RWF) | +250 | RW | |
| 34 | Seychelles | Victoria | Eastern Africa | 459 | 134,959 | Seychellois Creole, English, French | Seychellois rupee (SCR) | +248 | SC | |
| 35 | Somalia | Mogadishu | Eastern Africa | 637,657 | 20.3 million | Somali, Arabic | Somali shilling (SOS) | +252 | SO | |
| 36 | South Sudan | Juba | Eastern Africa | 644,329 | 12.5 million | English | South Sudanese pound (SSP) | +211 | SS | |
| 37 | Tanzania | Dodoma | Eastern Africa | 947,303 | 73.1 million | Swahili, English | Tanzanian shilling (TZS) | +255 | TZ | |
| 38 | Uganda | Kampala | Eastern Africa | 241,038 | 53.1 million | English, Swahili | Ugandan shilling (UGX) | +256 | UG | |
| 39 | Zambia | Lusaka | Eastern Africa | 752,612 | 22.6 million | English | Zambian kwacha (ZMW) | +260 | ZM | |
| 40 | Zimbabwe | Harare | Eastern Africa | 390,757 | 17.3 million | English, Shona, Ndebele | Zimbabwe Gold (ZWG) | +263 | ZW | |
| 41 | Angola | Luanda | Central Africa | 1,246,700 | 40.5 million | Portuguese | Kwanza (AOA) | +244 | AO | |
| 42 | Cameroon | Yaoundé | Central Africa | 475,442 | 30.8 million | French, English | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | +237 | CM | |
| 43 | Central African Republic | Bangui | Central Africa | 622,984 | 5.7 million | French, Sango | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | +236 | CF | |
| 44 | Chad | N’Djamena | Central Africa | 1,284,000 | 21.5 million | Arabic, French | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | +235 | TD | |
| 45 | Republic of the Congo | Brazzaville | Central Africa | 342,000 | 6.6 million | French | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | +242 | CG | |
| 46 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kinshasa | Central Africa | 2,345,409 | 116.9 million | French | Congolese franc (CDF) | +243 | CD | |
| 47 | Equatorial Guinea | Malabo | Central Africa | 28,051 | 1.9 million | Spanish, French, Portuguese | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | +240 | GQ | |
| 48 | Gabon | Libreville | Central Africa | 267,667 | 2.6 million | French | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | +241 | GA | |
| 49 | São Tomé and Príncipe | São Tomé | Central Africa | 964 | 246,236 | Portuguese | Dobra (STN) | +239 | ST | |
| 50 | Botswana | Gaborone | Southern Africa | 581,730 | 2.7 million | English, Setswana | Pula (BWP) | +267 | BW | |
| 51 | Eswatini | Mbabane (administrative); Lobamba (royal and legislative) | Southern Africa | 17,364 | 1.3 million | Swazi, English | Lilangeni (SZL) | +268 | SZ | |
| 52 | Lesotho | Maseru | Southern Africa | 30,355 | 2.4 million | Sesotho, English | Loti (LSL) | +266 | LS | |
| 53 | Namibia | Windhoek | Southern Africa | 824,292 | 3.1 million | English | Namibian dollar (NAD) | +264 | NA | |
| 54 | South Africa | Pretoria (executive); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial) | Southern Africa | 1,221,037 | 65.7 million | 11 official languages | Rand (ZAR) | +27 | ZA | |
| 55 | Western Sahara | Laayoune (claimed/administrative seat) | Disputed territory | 266,000 | 600,000 (approx.) | Arabic, Spanish | Moroccan dirham (MAD) commonly used | +212 (area code varies) | EH | |
| 56 | Saint Helena | Jamestown | British Overseas Territory | 122 | 5,000 (approx.) | English | Saint Helena pound (SHP) | +290 | SH | |
| 57 | Mayotte | Mamoudzou | French overseas department | 374 | 330,000 (approx.) | French, Shimaore, Kibushi | Euro (EUR) | +262 | YT | |
| 58 | Réunion | Saint-Denis | French overseas department | 2,512 | 890,000 (approx.) | French, Réunion Creole | Euro (EUR) | +262 | RE |
No entries found. Try another search or subregion.
Note: The main directory includes 54 African UN member states grouped into five geographic subregions: Northern Africa 6, Western Africa 16, Central Africa 9, Eastern Africa 18, and Southern Africa 5. Four additional territories or areas are listed separately for broader regional coverage. Western Sahara has disputed status; Saint Helena, Mayotte, and Réunion have different constitutional relationships with the United Kingdom or France. Population figures are approximate estimates and may vary by source.
The total area of the African continent is approximately 30,370,000 square kilometers (11,726,000 square miles), making it the world’s second-largest continent by area.
Algeria is the largest African country by area, while Seychelles is the smallest. Nigeria is the continent’s most populous country, followed by Ethiopia. The table above makes it easy to compare the land area, estimated 2026 population, capitals, flags, languages, and currencies of African countries.
See also: World Clock by Country, Current Time, and Time Converter to check local times around the world.
