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 Nigeria's Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo people).
The following ethnic groups number 5 million people or more:
Luba in Democratic Republic of the Congo (c. 15 million)
Mongo in Democratic Republic of the Congo (c. 15 million)
Kongo in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Republic of the Congo (c. 10 million)
Kanuri in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon (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)
Tigrayans in Ethiopia (c. 9 million)
Tigrinyas in Eritrea (c. 3 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)
Hutu in Rwanda, Burundi, and Democratic Republic of Congo (c. 15 million)
Chewa in Malawi and Zambia (c. 15 million)
Shona in Zimbabwe and Mozambique (c. 15 million)
Zulu in South Africa (c. 10 million)
Sotho in South Africa and Lesotho (c. 6.4 million)
Ethnic groups of Rivers State in Nigeria
Yoruba in Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone (c. 40 million)
Igbo in Nigeria (c.over 40 million)
Hausa in Nigeria, Niger, Benin, Ghana, Cameroon, Chad and Sudan (c. 35 million)
Mande peoples in The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Mauritania and Chad (c. 30 million)
Akan in Ghana and Ivory Coast (c. 20 million)
Fula in Guinea, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Chad, Gambia (c. 20 million)
