Africa: List of the 100 Largest Cities by Population

Image of Libreville cityscape with a mix of French colonial and modern African architecture

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1. Lagos, Nigeria – 21,000,000
Africa’s largest city and a major financial and cultural hub.


2. Cairo, Egypt – 20,500,000
Capital of Egypt, known for its ancient history and the Nile.


3. Kinshasa, DR Congo – 15,000,000
Capital of DR Congo and a key Central African metropolis.


4. Johannesburg, South Africa – 10,800,000
Economic powerhouse of southern Africa.


5. Khartoum, Sudan – 6,300,000
Capital of Sudan located at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile.


6. Luanda, Angola – 6,100,000
Capital of Angola and a major port on the Atlantic.


7. Nairobi, Kenya – 5,400,000
Capital city with a national park and vibrant tech scene.


8. Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire – 5,300,000
Economic capital and major port in West Africa.


9. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – 5,200,000
Largest city in Tanzania and a key port on the Indian Ocean.


10. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 5,000,000
Capital and diplomatic center of Africa.


11. Alexandria, Egypt – 4,900,000
Mediterranean port city with Greco-Roman heritage.


12. Kano, Nigeria – 4,600,000
Historic trade city in northern Nigeria.


13. Cape Town, South Africa – 4,600,000
Scenic coastal city with Table Mountain.


14. Accra, Ghana – 4,400,000
Capital of Ghana known for its culture and beaches.


15. Algiers, Algeria – 4,200,000
Capital city on the Mediterranean with Ottoman history.


16. Ibadan, Nigeria – 4,000,000
One of Nigeria’s largest cities and a major academic center.


17. Dakar, Senegal – 3,900,000
Capital of Senegal and a cultural center of West Africa.


18. Kampala, Uganda – 3,700,000
Capital city situated on the shores of Lake Victoria.


19. Kumasi, Ghana – 3,300,000
Cultural capital of the Ashanti region.


20. Lusaka, Zambia – 3,300,000
Capital and economic center of Zambia.


21. Yaoundé, Cameroon – 3,200,000
Administrative capital located in central Cameroon.


22. Maputo, Mozambique – 3,000,000
Capital and largest city of Mozambique.


23. Bamako, Mali – 2,800,000
Inland city on the Niger River and capital of Mali.


24. Nouakchott, Mauritania – 2,600,000
Coastal capital in northwest Africa.


25. Port Harcourt, Nigeria – 2,600,000
Oil-rich city in Nigeria’s Niger Delta.


26. Mogadishu, Somalia – 2,500,000
Capital city on the Indian Ocean coast.


27. Conakry, Guinea – 2,400,000
Capital and economic center on the Atlantic.


28. Antananarivo, Madagascar – 2,300,000
Highland capital of Madagascar.


29. Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo – 2,200,000
Capital across the river from Kinshasa.


30. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – 2,200,000
Capital with strong cultural traditions.


31. Niamey, Niger – 2,100,000
Capital city on the Niger River.


32. Tripoli, Libya – 2,000,000
Mediterranean city with ancient Roman landmarks.


33. Benin City, Nigeria – 2,000,000
Historic kingdom city in southern Nigeria.


34. Freetown, Sierra Leone – 1,900,000
Atlantic port and historic settlement for freed slaves.


35. Lubumbashi, DR Congo – 1,900,000
Mining center in southeastern DR Congo.


36. Pretoria, South Africa – 1,800,000
Administrative capital with Jacaranda-lined streets.


37. Mombasa, Kenya – 1,700,000
Historic Swahili coastal city.


38. Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana – 1,600,000
Twin cities and key ports in western Ghana.


39. Bujumbura, Burundi – 1,600,000
Lake Tanganyika city and former capital.


40. Kigali, Rwanda – 1,600,000
Clean and green capital of Rwanda.


41. Asmara, Eritrea – 1,500,000
Modernist architecture and Italian colonial legacy.


42. Blantyre, Malawi – 1,400,000
Commercial capital of Malawi.


43. Maiduguri, Nigeria – 1,400,000
Northeastern city with humanitarian significance.


44. Jos, Nigeria – 1,200,000
Highland city with a cooler climate.


45. Goma, DR Congo – 1,200,000
Volcanic city on Lake Kivu.


46. Tunis, Tunisia – 1,200,000
Capital city near ancient Carthage.


47. Zanzibar City, Tanzania – 1,100,000
Historic island city with a rich cultural blend.


48. N’Djamena, Chad – 1,100,000
Capital on the Chari River near Cameroon.


49. Djibouti City, Djibouti – 1,000,000
Strategic port city at the Horn of Africa.


50. Libreville, Gabon – 1,000,000
Capital and coastal hub in central Africa.


51. Windhoek, Namibia – 990,000
Modern capital with German colonial architecture.


52. Harare, Zimbabwe – 980,000
Capital city known for its gardens and markets.


53. Durban, South Africa – 970,000
Major port and resort city on the Indian Ocean.


54. Gaborone, Botswana – 950,000
Capital and growing tech hub.


55. Benghazi, Libya – 900,000
Second-largest city in Libya with Greek and Roman roots.


56. Maseru, Lesotho – 850,000
Mountain capital along the Caledon River.


57. Monrovia, Liberia – 850,000
Atlantic port city named after U.S. President Monroe.


58. Juba, South Sudan – 830,000
Capital of the world’s youngest country.


59. Suez, Egypt – 820,000
Strategic city at the entrance to the Suez Canal.


60. Banjul, The Gambia – 800,000
Capital city located on an island at a river mouth.


61. Soweto, South Africa – 800,000
Historic township near Johannesburg.


62. Zaria, Nigeria – 780,000
Educational and traditional emirate city.


63. Bauchi, Nigeria – 770,000
City in northeastern Nigeria near wildlife reserves.


64. Warri, Nigeria – 750,000
Oil city in the Niger Delta.


65. Eldoret, Kenya – 740,000
Highland city known for athletics.


66. Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo – 730,000
Port and oil industry center.


67. Bahir Dar, Ethiopia – 720,000
Lake city near Blue Nile Falls.


68. Kananga, DR Congo – 710,000
Center of the Kasai region.


69. Tanga, Tanzania – 700,000
Coastal city with Swahili history.


70. Thiès, Senegal – 690,000
Railway and agricultural city.


71. Nnewi, Nigeria – 680,000
Manufacturing city in southeastern Nigeria.


72. Mbabane, Eswatini – 670,000
Administrative capital of Eswatini.


73. Kisangani, DR Congo – 660,000
Congo River city with colonial heritage.


74. Likasi, DR Congo – 650,000
Mining city in Katanga region.


75. Sfax, Tunisia – 640,000
Commercial and industrial port.


76. Beira, Mozambique – 630,000
Port city at the mouth of the Pungwe River.


77. Kindu, DR Congo – 620,000
Remote river city with logging industry.


78. Owerri, Nigeria – 610,000
Imo state capital with vibrant culture.


79. Gweru, Zimbabwe – 600,000
Midlands city and educational hub.


80. Kano, Sierra Leone – 590,000
Town with agricultural trade.


81. Lilongwe, Malawi – 580,000
Capital city and political center.


82. Kitwe, Zambia – 570,000
Mining town on the Copperbelt.


83. Toliara, Madagascar – 560,000
Southwestern port city.


84. Mwanza, Tanzania – 550,000
Lake Victoria city and fishing hub.


85. Mutare, Zimbabwe – 540,000
Eastern city near the Mozambique border.


86. Lubango, Angola – 530,000
Mountain city with colonial buildings.


87. Kasese, Uganda – 520,000
Gateway to Rwenzori Mountains.


88. Lodwar, Kenya – 510,000
Desert town near Lake Turkana.


89. Ziguinchor, Senegal – 500,000
Casamance regional capital.


90. Port Sudan, Sudan – 490,000
Main port city on the Red Sea.


91. Makeni, Sierra Leone – 480,000
Northern city with agricultural economy.


92. Oshakati, Namibia – 470,000
Oshana region hub.


93. Nkongsamba, Cameroon – 460,000
Agricultural trade center.


94. Nzérékoré, Guinea – 450,000
Southeastern regional capital.


95. Kindia, Guinea – 440,000
Agricultural and transport hub in western Guinea.


96. Mekele, Ethiopia – 440,000
Capital of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia.


97. Garoua, Cameroon – 435,000
Northern city along the Benue River.


98. Djougou, Benin – 430,000
Important trade and transport center in northwestern Benin.


99. Kandi, Benin – 425,000
Agricultural city in northeastern Benin.


100. Malabo, Equatorial Guinea – 300,000
Island capital city with Spanish heritage.

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