Demographics of Angola

Angola has three main ethnic groups, each speaking a Bantu language: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, and Bakongo 13%. Other groups include Chokwe (or Lunda), Ganguela, Nhaneca-Humbe, Ambo, Herero, and Xindunga. In addition, mixed racial (European and Africa) people amount to about 2%, with a small (1%) population of whites, mainly ethnically Portuguese. Portuguese make up the largest non-Angolan population, with at least 30,000 (though many native-born Angolans can claim Portuguese nationality under Portuguese law). Portuguese is both the official and predominant language.

The great majority of the inhabitants are of Bantu-Negro stock with some admixture in the Congo district with the pure negro type. In the south-east are various tribes of Bushmen. The best-known of the Bantu-Negro tribes are the Ba-Kongo (Ba-Fiot), who dwell chiefly in the north, and the Abunda (Mbunda, Ba-Bundo), who occupy the central part of the province, which takes its name from the Ngola tribe of Abunda. Another of these tribes, the Bangala, living on the west bank of the upper Kwango, must not be confounded with the Bangala of the middle Congo. In the Abunda is a considerable strain of Portuguese blood. The Ba-Lunda inhabit the Lunda district. Along the upper Kunene and in other districts of the plateau are settlements of Boers, the Boer population being about 2000. In the coast towns the majority of the white inhabitants are Portuguese. The Mushi-Kongo and other divisions of the Ba-Kongo retain curious traces of the Christianity professed by them in the 16th and 17th centuries and possibly later. Crucifixes are used as potent fetish charms or as symbols of power passing down from chief to chief; whilst every native has a "Santu" or Christian name and is dubbed dom or dona. Fetishism is the prevailing religion throughout the province. The dwelling-places of the natives are usually small huts of the simplest construction, used chiefly as sleeping apartments; the day is spent in an open space in front of the hut protected from the sun by a roof of palm or other leaves.

Population: 10,766,471 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:

  • 0-14 years: 43.5% (male 2,363,829; female 2,317,610)
  • 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 2,941,999; female 2,842,923)
  • 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 134,330; female 165,780) (2003 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.97% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 45.57 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 25.83 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:

  • at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
  • total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

  • total: 193.82 deaths/1,000 live births
  • female: 180.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
  • male: 206.26 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:

  • total population: 36.96 years
  • male: 36.13 years
  • female: 37.83 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.38 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 350,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 24,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

  • noun: Angolan(s)
  • adjective: Angolan

Ethnic groups: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestiço (mixed European and Native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (1998 est.)

Languages: Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages

Literacy:

  • definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  • total population: 42%
  • male: 56%
  • female: 28% (1998 est.)

Reference

Much of the material in this article comes from the CIA World Factbook 2003 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.


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