Top 10 African countries with the smallest population mid-way into 2023

In a world where overpopulation is a growing concern in many regions, there exist countries that face the opposite challenge, low population. While rapid population growth often poses economic, social, and environmental challenges, a low population can bring its own set of opportunities and obstacles.

A low-population country is characterized by having a significantly smaller number of inhabitants compared to its land area. The precise definition varies, but generally, countries with low population density (usually below 100 persons per square kilometer) or countries with a total population of fewer than 10 million people may be considered low-population countries.

Some of the challenges of low population include achieving sustainable economic growth, demographic shifts with a higher proportion of elderly citizens, and inadequate infrastructure, due to low manpower, amongst other more subtle issues. On the flip side, some of the benefits of a low population include, preserving the natural environment, flexible governance, and a stronger sense of community, amongst others. The continent of Africa is no stranger to these benefits and challenges, despite having one of the fastest-growing populations in the world. 

Africa currently stands as one of the fastest-growing economies on the globe, boasting the youngest population of any region. It boasts some countries with some of the world's largest popualtion by region. According to the most recent United Nations projections, Africa's current population is 1,463,378,937 as of August 2023. Africa's population is 17.89% of the total world population. 

However, there are simply some African countries exempted from the benefits and challenges of a rapidly growing population, and below are 10 of these countries, the countries in Africa with the least population.