The ethnic groups of Africa number in the thousands, each generally having its own language (or dialect of a language) and culture. The ethnolinguistic groups include various Afro-Asiatic, Khoisan, Niger-Congo and Nilo-Saharan populations.

The official population count of the various ethnic groups in Africa has in some instances been controversial because certain groups believe populations are blatantly misreported to give other ethnicities numerical superiority (as in the case of Nigerias Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo people).[1] [2] [3]

The following ethnic groups number 5 million people or more:

Kongo in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Republic of the Congo (c. 10 million)

Kanuri in Nigeria,[4] Niger,[5] Chad [6] and Cameroon [7] (c. 10 million)

Oromo in Ethiopia (c. 30 million)

Amhara in Ethiopia (c. 25 million)

Somali in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya (c. 16-19 million)

Afar in Eritrea, Djibouti and Ethiopia(c. 4-5 million)

Maghrebis in Maghreb (c. 110 million), including Berbers in Mauritania, Morocco (including Western Sahara), Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya (c. 30 million)

Egyptians in Egypt (c. 91 million), including Copts in Egypt and Sudan (c. 15 million) and tribes such as the two largest in North Sinai, the al-Tarabin tribe and the al-Sawarka tribe.[8]

Hutu in Rwanda, Burundi, and Democratic Republic of Congo (c. 15 million)

Yoruba in Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone (c. 40 million)

^ Onuah, Felix (29 December 2006). Nigeria gives census result, avoids risky details. Reuters. Retrieved 2008-11-23.

^ Lewis, Peter (2007). Growing Apart: Oil, Politics, and Economic Change in Indonesia and Nigeria. University of Michigan Press. p. 132. ISBN 0-472-06980-2 . Retrieved 2008-11-23.

^ Suberu, Rotimi T. (2001). Federalism and Ethnic Conflict in Nigeria. US Institute of Peace Press. p. 154. ISBN 1-929223-28-5 . Retrieved 2008-12-18.

^ a b c d The World Factbook: Nigeria. World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency . Retrieved 2013-12-31.

^ a b c d