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

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1901	4,739,300	—
1906	5,231,700	+2.00%
1911	5,563,800	+1.24%
1921	5,804,200	+0.42%
1926	6,066,400	+0.89%
1931	6,553,500	+1.56%
1936	7,234,700	+2.00%
1948	8,681,800	+1.53%
2010	35,600,000	+2.30%
2011	36,300,000	+1.97%
2012	37,100,000	+2.20%
2013	37,900,000	+2.16%
2017	42,200,000	+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	755,000	153,000	602,000	29.5
1990	25,022,000	775,000	151,000	624,000	30.94	6.03	24.91	4.50
1991	25,643,000	773,000	155,000	618,000	30.1	6.0	24.1
1992	26,271,000	799,000	160,000	639,000	30.4	6.1	24.3
1993	26,894,000	775,000	168,000	607,000	28.8	6.2	22.6
1994	27,496,000	776,000	180,000	596,000	28.2	6.5	21.7
1995	28,060,000	711,000	180,000	531,000	25.3	6.4	18.9
1996	28,566,000	654,000	172,000	482,000	22.9	6.0	16.9
1997	29,045,000	654,000	178,000	476,000	22.5	6.1	16.4
1998	29,507,000	607,000	144,000	463,000	20.6	4.9	15.7
1999	29,965,000	593,643	141,000	452,643	19.8	4.7	15.1
2000	30,416,000	588,628	140,000	448,628	19.36	4.59	14.77	2.40
2001	30,879,000	618,380	141,000	477,380	20.0	4.6	15.5
2002	31,357,000	616,963	138,000	478,963	19.7	4.4	15.3
2003	31,848,000	649,000	145,000	504,000	20.4	4.6	15.8
2004	32,364,000	669,000	141,000	528,000	20.7	4.4	16.3
2005	32,906,000	703,000	147,000	556,000	21.4	4.5	16.9
2006	33,481,000	739,000	144,000	595,000	22.1	4.3	17.8
2007	34,096,000	783,000	149,000	634,000	23.0	4.4	18.6
2008	34,591,000	817,000	153,000	664,000	23.62	4.42	19.2	2.81
2009	35,268,000	849,000	159,000	690,000	24.07	4.51	19.56	2.84
2010	35,978,000	888,000	157,000	731,000	24.68	4.37	20.31	2.87
2011	36,717,000	910,000	162,000	748,000	24.78	4.41	20.37	2.87
2012	37,495,000	978,000	170,000	808,000	26.08	4.53	21.55	3.02	75.8	77.1
2013	38,297,000	963,000	168,000	795,000	25.14	4.39	20.75	2.93	76.5	77.6
2014[5]	39,114,000	1,014,000	174,000	840,000	25.93	4.44	21.50	3.03	76.6	77.8
2015	39,963,000	1,040,285	182,570	857,715	26.03	4.57	21.50	3.10	76.4	77.8
2016	40,400,000	1,066,823	180,404	886,419	26.1	4.5	21.6	3.10	77.1	78.2
2017	41,300,000	1,060,000	190,000	870,000	25.4	4.6	20.8	3.06	76.9	78.2
2018	42,200,000	1,038,000	193,000	845,000	24.4	4.5	19.9	3.00	77.1	78.4
2019	43,000,000	1,034,000	198,000	837,000	23.8	4.6	19.2	3.0	77.2	78.6

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

Below is a list of the most important Algerian cities:

Ethnic groups

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

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

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]

Spoken and popular languages

• Arabic language: 75% (dialectal Algerian Arabic including all dialects: Eastern, Western, Algiers dialect, Saharan)
• French: 70% (as a 2nd or 3rd language, spoken by both low and highly educated people)[27]
• Berber languages: 32.5% Chaouia, Kabyle, Tamahaq, Chenoua, Mozabite (Tumẓabt)
• English: 15% (as a 3rd language, spoken by highly educated people)
• Korandje language (Kwarandzyey): 0.01%

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 Oran	102	0	7.85%	5.90%	45.10%	0	0	0	22.50%	4.90%	1%	11.80%	1%	Robino et al. (2008)[29]
2 Algiers	35	2.85%	0	11.40%	42.85%	0	11.80%	2.85%	22.85%	5.70%	0	0	0	Arredi et al. (2004)[30]
3 Tizi Ouzou	19	0	0	0	47.35%	10.50%	10.50%	0	15.80%	0	0	15.80%	0	Arredi et al. (2004)
Total	156	0.65%	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

External links

• (ONS.dz) Official Demographics Statistics of Algeria
• Population cartogram of Algeria
• Unexpected developments in Maghrebian fertility
• and the As of 2003 U.S. Department of State website.
• Laouisset, Djamel (2009). A Retrospective Study of the Algerian Iron and Steel Industry. New York City: Nova Publishers. ISBN 978-1-61761-190-2.

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