Demographics of Algeria

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Algeria, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Algeria population pyramid in 2020
Demographics of Algeria, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.
Location of Algeria

Ninety-one percent of the Algerian population lives along the Mediterranean coast on 12% of the country's total land mass. Forty-five percent of the population is urban, and urbanization continues, despite government efforts to discourage migration to the cities. Currently, 24,182,736 Algerians live in urban areas, and about 1.5 millions nomads live in the Saharan area.

96% of the population follows Sunni Islam; the few non-Sunni Muslims are mainly Ibadis from the Mozabite valley at 1.3% and Shia Muslims (see Islam in Algeria).

Christianity in Algeria constitutes about 1% of the total population. While significantly greater during the French colonial years, a mostly foreign Roman Catholic community still exists, as do some Protestants. The Jewish community of Algeria, which once constituted 2% of the total population, has substantially decreased due to emigration, mostly to France and Israel.

Algeria's educational system has grown rapidly since 1962; in the last 12 years, attendance has doubled to more than 5 million students. Education is free and compulsory to age 16. Despite government allocation of substantial educational resources, population pressures and a serious shortage of teachers have severely strained the system, as have terrorist attacks against the educational infrastructure during the 1990s. Modest numbers of Algerian students study abroad, primarily in France and French-speaking Canada. In 2000, the government launched a major review of the country's educational system.

Housing and medicine continue to be pressing problems in Algeria. Failing infrastructure and the continued influx of people from rural to urban areas has overtaxed both systems. According to the UNDP, Algeria has one of the world's highest per housing unit occupancy rates for housing, and government officials have publicly stated that the country has an immediate shortfall of 1.5 million housing units.

Population

Vital statistics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
19014,739,300—    
19065,231,700+2.00%
19115,563,800+1.24%
19215,804,200+0.42%
19266,066,400+0.89%
19316,553,500+1.56%
19367,234,700+2.00%
19488,681,800+1.53%
201035,600,000+2.30%
201136,300,000+1.97%
201237,100,000+2.20%
201337,900,000+2.16%
201742,200,000+2.72%
Source: Office National des Statistiques (ONS)[1]

Figures from National Office of Statistics Algeria,[2] United Nations Demographic Yearbook[3] and the CIA World Factbook:[4]

Average population (1 January) Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Total fertility rate Male life expectancy Female life expectancy
1966 13,123,000 667,000 50.8
1967 13,497,000 630,000 46.7
1968 13,887,000 618,000 44.5
1969 14,287,000 665,000 46.5
1970 14,691,000 689,000 46.9
1971 15,098,000 687,000 45.5
1972 15,512,000 697,000 44.9
1973 15,936,000 717,000 45.0
1974 16,375,000 722,000 44.1
1975 16,834,000 738,000 43.8
1976 17,311,000 751,000 43.4
1977 17,809,000 728,000 40.9
1978 18,331,000 767,000 41.9
1979 18,885,000 797,000 42.2
1980 19,475,000 819,000 42.0
1981 20,104,000 835,000 41.5
1982 20,767,000 852,000 41.0
1983 21,453,000 812,000 37.9
1984 22,150,000 850,000 38.4
1985 22,847,000 864,000 37.8
1986 23,539,000 781,000 33.2
1987 24,226,000 755,000 31.2
1988 24,905,000 806,000 32.4
1989 25,577,000 755,000153,000602,000 29.5
1990 25,022,000 775,000151,000624,000 30.946.0324.914.50
1991 25,643,000 773,000155,000618,000 30.16.024.1
1992 26,271,000 799,000160,000639,000 30.46.124.3
1993 26,894,000 775,000168,000607,000 28.86.222.6
1994 27,496,000 776,000180,000596,000 28.26.521.7
1995 28,060,000 711,000180,000531,000 25.36.418.9
1996 28,566,000 654,000172,000482,000 22.96.016.9
1997 29,045,000 654,000178,000476,000 22.56.116.4
1998 29,507,000 607,000144,000463,000 20.64.915.7
1999 29,965,000 593,643141,000452,643 19.84.715.1
2000 30,416,000 588,628140,000448,628 19.364.5914.772.40
2001 30,879,000 618,380141,000477,380 20.04.615.5
2002 31,357,000 616,963138,000478,963 19.74.415.3
2003 31,848,000 649,000145,000504,000 20.44.615.8
2004 32,364,000 669,000141,000528,000 20.74.416.3
2005 32,906,000 703,000147,000556,000 21.44.516.9
2006 33,481,000 739,000144,000595,000 22.14.317.8
2007 34,096,000 783,000149,000634,000 23.04.418.6
2008 34,591,000 817,000153,000664,000 23.624.4219.22.81
2009 35,268,000 849,000159,000690,000 24.074.5119.562.84
2010 35,978,000 888,000157,000731,000 24.684.3720.312.87
2011 36,717,000 910,000162,000748,000 24.784.4120.372.87
2012 37,495,000 978,000170,000808,000 26.084.5321.553.02 75.877.1
2013 38,297,000 963,000168,000795,000 25.144.3920.752.93 76.577.6
2014[5] 39,114,000 1,014,000174,000840,000 25.934.4421.503.03 76.677.8
2015 39,963,000 1,040,285182,570857,715 26.034.5721.503.10 76.477.8
2016 40,400,000 1,066,823180,404886,419 26.14.521.63.10 77.178.2
2017 41,300,000 1,060,000190,000870,000 25.44.620.83.06 76.978.2
2018 42,200,000 1,038,000193,000845,000 24.44.519.93.00 77.178.4
2019 43,000,000 1,034,000198,000837,000 23.84.619.23.0 77.278.6

Age distribution

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (1.VII.2017):[6]

Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 21 118 894 20 576 732 41 695 626 100
0-4 2 537 210 2 400 525 4 937 735 11.84
5-9 2 155 222 2 034 306 4 189 528 10.05
10-14 1 672 925 1 583 253 3 256 178 7.81
15-19 1 513 910 1 449 966 2 963 876 7.11
20-24 1 728 672 1 662 960 3 391 633 8.13
25-29 1 887 412 1 837 618 3 725 030 8.93
30-34 1 891 310 1 868 670 3 759 980 9.02
35-39 1 672 000 1 638 996 3 310 996 7.94
40-44 1 322 807 1 314 955 2 637 762 6.33
45-49 1 128 564 1 141 789 2 270 354 5.45
50-54 957 002 964 127 1 921 129 4.61
55-59 764 232 765 395 1 529 628 3.67
60-64 623 980 613 837 1 237 817 2.97
65-69 464 950 452 674 917 624 2.20
70-74 288 205 304 720 592 925 1.42
75-79 237 094 252 360 489 454 1.17
80-84 156 185 171 174 327 360 0.79
85+ 117 213 119 406 236 619 0.57
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0-14 6 365 357 6 018 084 12 383 441 29.70
15-64 13 489 890 13 258 314 26 748 204 64.15
65+ 1 263 647 1 300 334 2 563 981 6.15

Life expectancy
Period Life expectancy in
Years[7]
1950–1955 42.89
1955–1960 45.00
1960–1965 47.29
1965–1970 49.47
1970–1975 51.48
1975–1980 54.93
1980–1985 61.57
1985–1990 65.85
1990–1995 67.20
1995–2000 69.14
2000–2005 71.50
2005–2010 73.88
2010–2015 75.27

Cities
Main article: List of cities in Algeria

Below is a list of the most important Algerian cities:

Ethnic groups
Main article: Ethnic groups in Algeria

Algerians are descendants from the Berbers, who are the indigenous ethnic group of Algeria and are believed to be the ancestral stock on which elements from the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks as well as other ethnic groups have contributed to the ethnic makeup of Algeria.[9] Descendants of Andalusian refugees are also present in the population of Algiers and other cities.[10] Moreover, Spanish was spoken by these Aragonese and Castillian Morisco descendants deep into the 18th century, and even Catalan was spoken at the same time by Catalan Morisco descendants in the small town of Grish El-Oued.[11]

Algerian women in traditional clothes

The majority of Algerians identify with an Arab-based identity due to the 20th century Arab nationalism.[12][13] The ethnic Berbers are divided into many groups with varying languages. The largest of these are the Kabyles, who live in the Kabylie region east of Algiers, the Chaoui of North-East Algeria, the Tuaregs in the southern desert and the Shenwa people of North Algeria.[14]

During the colonial period, there was a large (10% in 1960)[15] European population who became known as Pied-Noirs. They were primarily of French, Spanish and Italian origin. Almost all of this population left during the war of independence or immediately after its end.[16]

Religion
Main article: Religion in Algeria
Religions of Algeria (2020)[4]
Religions percent
Islam (official; Sunni)
 
 99%
Other (includes Christian and Jewish)
 
 1%

Islam is the predominant religion with 99% of the population.[4] There are about 150,000 Ibadis in the M'zab Valley in the region of Ghardaia.[17]

There were an estimated 10,000 Christians in Algeria in 2008.[18] In a 2009 study the UNO estimated there were 45,000 Catholics and 50,000–100,000 Protestants in Algeria.[19] A 2015 study estimates 380,000 Muslims converted to Christianity in Algeria.[20]

Following the Revolution and Algerian independence, all but 6,500 of the country's 140,000 Jews left the country, of whom about 90% moved to France with the Pied-Noirs and 10% moved to Israel.

Languages
Main article: Languages of Algeria
Traffic sign in Isser in three languages: Arabic, Berber, and French

Arabic and Tamazight serve as both official languages and national languages in Algeria.[21][22]

Algerian Arabic (Algerian Dziriya or Darja) is the language used by the majority of the population. Colloquial Algerian Arabic is heavily infused with loanwords from Berber and French.

Although French has no official status, Algeria is the second-largest Francophone country in the world in terms of speakers,[23] and French is widely used in government, media (newspapers, radio, local television), and both the education system (from primary school onwards) and academia due to Algeria's colonial history. It can be regarded as the de facto co-official language of Algeria. In 2008, 11.2 million Algerians could read and write in French.[24] An Abassa Institute study in April 2000 found that 60% of households could speak and understand French. In recent decades the government has reinforced the study of French and TV programs have reinforced use of the language.

Algeria emerged as a bilingual state after 1962.[25] Colloquial Algerian Arabic is spoken by about 72% of the population and Berber by 27–30%.[26]

Official and recognized languages
  • Modern Standard Arabic: official language of the state, as defined in the Algerian constitution. Classical Arabic can be read and written by about 69.9% of Algerians. The language is used in writing only, not in daily conversation.
  • Berber language (Tamazight): official language of the state.[28]

Literacy

Definition: Age 15 and over can read and write

Total population: 80.2%
Male: 87.2%
Female: 73.1% (2015 est.)

Education expenditures
14% of GDP (2015)

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the 2018 CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[4]

Nationality
Noun: Algerian(s)
Adjective: Algerian

Population growth rate
1.63% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 63rd
1.7% (2017 est.)

Median age
total: 28.3 years. Country comparison to the world: 138th
male: 28 years
female: 28.7 years (2018 est.)
total: 28.1 years
male: 27.8 years
female: 28.4 years (2017 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.66 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 64th
Birth rate
21.5 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 74th
Death rate
4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 205th

Net migration rate
-0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 135th
-0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
-0.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

Urbanization
Urban population: 66% of total population (2010)
Rate of urbanization: 2.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 2.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15–64 years: 1.02 male/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male/female
Total population: 1.01 male/female (2012 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 27.73 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 30.86 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 24.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Total: 24.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 27.82 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 21.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77 years
Male: 75.6 years
Female: 78.4 years (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% ; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS: 21,000 (2007 est.)
Deaths: less than 1000 (2007 est.)

Obesity rate
Adult prevalence rate: 27.4% (2016 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vector borne disease: cutaneous leishmaniasis is a high risk in some locations (2005)

Genetics

Y-Dna haplogroup frequencies in coastal Algeria
Population Nb E1a E1b1a E1b1b1a E1b1b1b E1b1b1c F K J1 J2 R1a R1b Q Study
1 Oran10207.85%5.90%45.10%00022.50%4.90%1%11.80%1%Robino et al. (2008)[29]
2 Algiers352.85%011.40%42.85%011.80%2.85%22.85%5.70%000Arredi et al. (2004)[30]
3 Tizi Ouzou1900047.35%10.50%10.50%015.80%0015.80%0Arredi et al. (2004)
Total1560.65%5.10%6.40%44.90%1.30%9.58%0.65%21.80%4.50%0.65%9.60%0.65%

In a recent genetic study by Semino et al. (2004), Algerian Arabs and Berbers were found to have more genetic similarities than was once believed.[31] This led scientists to conclude that the North African population was mainly Berber in origin and that the population had been 'Arabised', by the migration of Near-Eastener people.

The Haplogroup J, common marker in Middle-Eastern population is found at near 30% in Algeria, which is one of the most common haplogroup of the country along with E1b1b .

Recent studies on the common J1 Y chromosome suggest it arrived over ten thousand years ago in North Africa, and M81/E3b2 is a Y chromosome specific to North African ancestry, dating to the Neolithic. A thorough study by Arredi et al. (2004) which analyzed populations from Algeria concludes that the North African pattern of Y-chromosomal variation (including both E3b2 and J haplogroups is largely of Neolithic origin, which suggests that the Neolithic transition in this part of the world was accompanied by demic diffusion of Afro-Asiatic–speaking pastoralists from the Middle East. This Neolithic origin was later confirmed by Myles et al. (2005) which suggest that "contemporary Berber populations possess the genetic signature of a past migration of pastoralists from the Middle East",[32]

References
  1. Office National des Statistiques
  2. "National Office of Statistics". 9 June 2015. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012.
  3. "United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  4. "The World Factbook – Africa – Algeria". CIA. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/#statistics
  7. "World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations". esa.un.org. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  8. http://citypopulation.de/Algeria-Cities.html
  9. UNESCO (2009). "Diversité et interculturalité en Algérie" (PDF). UNESCO. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2013.
  10. Ruedy, John Douglas (2005). Modern Algeria – The Origins and Development of a Nation. Indiana University Press. p. 22. ISBN 9780253217820.
  11. De Epalza, Mikel (2011). El español hablado en Túnez por los moriscos (siglos XVII-XVIII). Universitat de València. pp. 32–38–39–444. ISBN 9788437084152.
  12. Stokes, Jamie (2009). Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East: L to Z. Infobase Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4381-2676-0.
  13. Oxford Business Group (2011). The Report: Algeria 2011. Oxford Business Group. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-907065-37-8.
  14. Marion Mill Preminger (1961). The sands of Tamanrasset: the story of Charles de Foucauld. Hawthorn Books.
  15. Cook, Bernard A. (2001). Europe since 1945: an encyclopedia. New York: Garland. p. 398. ISBN 978-0-8153-4057-7.
  16. De Azevedo, Raimond Cagiano (1994). Migration and Development Co-Operation. Council of Europe. p. 25. ISBN 9789287126115.
  17. "Ibadis and Kharijis". (via Angelfire). Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  18. "Algerian Christian converts fined". BBC News. 3 June 2008.
  19. Deeb, Mary Jane. "Religious minorities" Algeria (Country Study). Federal Research Division, Library of Congress; Helen Chapan Metz, ed. December 1993. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  20. Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census
  21. "APS" (PDF). Algeria Press Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  22. "Présentation de l'Algérie". French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  23. "La mondialisation, une chance pour la francophonie". Senat.fr. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013. () "L'Algérie, non-membre de l'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, comptabilise la seconde communauté francophone au monde, avec environ 16 millions de locuteurs, suivie par la Côte d'Ivoire avec près de 12 millions de locuteurs francophones, le Québec avec 6 millions et la Belgique avec plus de 4 millions de francophones."
  24. "Le dénombrement des francophones" (PDF). Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2013. () p. 9 "Nous y agrégeons néanmoins quelques données disponibles pour des pays n’appartenant pas à l’OIF mais dont nous savons, comme pour l’Algérie (11,2 millions en 20081)," and "1. Nombre de personnes âgées de cinq ans et plus déclarant savoir lire et écrire le français, d’après les données du recensement de 2008 communiquées par l’Office national des statistiques d’Algérie."
  25. New, The (19 November 2008). "Algeria's liberation terrorism and Arabization". blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  26. Leclerc, Jacques (5 April 2009). "Algérie: Situation géographique et démolinguistique". L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde (in French). Université Laval. Archived from the original on 24 January 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  27. fr:Langues en Algérie
  28. "APS" (PDF). Algeria Press Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  29. Robino, C; Crobu, F; Di Gaetano, C; Bekada, A; Benhamamouch, S; Cerutti, N; Piazza, A; Inturri, S; Torre, C (2008). "Analysis of Y-chromosomal SNP haplogroups and STR haplotypes in an Algerian population sample". International Journal of Legal Medicine. 122 (3): 251–5. doi:10.1007/s00414-007-0203-5. PMID 17909833.
  30. Arredi et al. (2004),A Predominantly Neolithic Origin for Y-Chromosomal DNA Variation in North Africa
  31. Semino et al. (2004), Origin, Diffusion, and Differentiation of Y-Chromosome Haplogroups E and J Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
  32. although later papers have suggested that this date could have been as longas ten thousand years ago, with the transition from the Oranian to the Capsian culture in North Africa. SpringerLink - Journal Article

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document: "2009 edition".

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