List of Largest Ethnic Groups in Africa

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List of the largest ethnic group in each African Country.

An ethnic group is a category of people who belonging to or deriving from the cultural, religious, or linguistic traditions of a people or country. People who identify with each other based on similarities, such as common ancestral, language, social, and cultural experiences.

Learning at a refugee camp in East Africa

Some believe belonging to an ethnic group does not come from individual choice but others impose ethnicity. Race is associated with biology, whereas ethnicity is associated with culture. Therefore, an ethnic group is a subjective category based on personal feelings, tastes, or opinions of others. 

Largest Ethnic Groups in every African Country

2006-2016 CIA census reports

African Country	Largest Ethnic Group
Algeria	Arab-Berber 99%
Angola	Ovimbundu 37%
Benin	Fon and related 38.4%
Botswana	Setswana 79%
Burkina Faso	Mossi 52.5%
Burundi	Hutu 85%
Cameroon	Cameroon Highlanders 31%
Cabo Verde	Creole mulatto 71%
Central African Republic	Baya 33%
Chad	Sara 25.9%
Comoros	Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava (Comoros’ population is a mixture of Arabs, Persians, Indonesians, Africans, and Indians)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo	Over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Republic of the Congo	Kongo 48%
Cote d'Ivoire	Akan 32.1%
Djibouti	Somali 60%
Egypt	Egyptian 99.6%
Equatorial Guinea	Fang 85.7%
Eritrea	Tigrinya 55%
Ethiopia	Oromo 34.4%
Gabon	Fang 32%
The Gambia	Mandinka/Jahanka 33.8%
Ghana	Akan 47.5%
Guinea	Fulani (Peul) 33.9%
Guinea-Bissau	Fulani 28.5%
Kenya	Kikuyu 22%
Lesotho	Sotho 99.7%
Liberia	Kpelle 20.3%
Libya	Berber and Arab 97%
Madagascar	Merina 26%
Malawi	Chewa 32.6%
Mali	Bambara 34.1%
Mauritania	Black Moors 40%
Mauritius	Creole 86.5%
Morocco	Arab-Berber 99%
Mozambique	Ethnic groups are not broken down in percentages however, the country is 99.66% African. The main ethnic groups in Mozambique are Makhuwa, Tsonga, Makonde, Shangaan, Shona, Sena, Ndau, and other indigenous groups.
Namibia	Ovambo 50%
Niger	Hausa 53.1%
Nigeria	Hausa and Fulani 29%
Rwanda	Hutu 84%
Sao Tome and Principe	Mestico or mixed-blood, descendants of Portuguese colonists and African slaves figures vary from 33%-68%
Senegal	Wolof 38.7%
Seychelles	Mixed French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arab. Seychelles has no indigenous population and was first permanently settled by a small group of French planters, African slaves, and South Indians in 1770.
Sierra Leone	Temne 35%
Somalia	Somali 85%
South Africa	Zulu 21 %
South Sudan	Dinka 35.8%
Sudan	Sudanese Arab 70%
Swaziland (renamed the country eSwatini in April 2018)	Swazi 84.3%
Tanzania	Bantu 95%
Togo	Ewe figures vary from 21%-32%
Tunisia	Arab 98%
Uganda	Baganda 16.5%
Zambia	Bemba 21%
Zimbabwe	Shona 82%

Did you know?
Throughout the world, ethnicity is used as a social measure of differences between groups of people.

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