Ivory Coast Population 2023 (Live)

According to current projection, the Ivory Coast population is expected to continue to grow throughout the rest of the century. As of 2020, the population sits at 26.38 million people. By 2049, the population is expected to surpass 50 million people. By 2099, the population will more than triple and is expected to rise to 95.91 million people.

Ivory Coast is growing at a rate of 2.57%, increasing the population by 661,730 people from 2019 to 2020. The fertility rate in Ivory Coast is relatively high at 4.68 children per woman and is the largest contributing factor to population growth. This has also kept the population very young with the median age being 18.9 years.

Ivory Coast’s economy has also been growing with its population; however, the rapid urbanization hat results from a quickly-growing population must be controlled for Ivory Coast to become a middle-income country within the next couple of decades.

Ivory Coast Population Growth

A government survey in 2012 found the country has a fertility rate of 5.0, which is just 3.7 in urban areas like the capital but 6.3 children per woman in the rural areas. Ivory Coast has a life expectancy of 41 for men and 47 for women, with a high infant mortality rate of 118 per 1,000 live births. Ivory Coast is currently growing at a rate of 2.5% per year.

Ivory Coast Population Projections

It is projected that the rate of growth will slow slightly in the Ivory Coast, but the increase in population will still be significant and is expected to nearly double within the next 30 years or so. Current predictions believe that the growth rate will peak at 2.52% by 2020, and will slow down to 2.03% by 2050. During that time, the population is expected to grow from 26,171,750 to 51,375,178. Current projections also have the population at 33,337,306 in 2030 and 41,796,024 in 2040.

Ivory Coast Area and Population Density

The last census in Ivory Coast took place in 1998 and found a population of 15.37 million, up from the 6.7 million people in the country at the first census in 1975. Today, Ivory Coast has a population density of 64 people per square kilometer (166/square mile), which ranks 139th in the world.

Largest Cities in Ivory Coast

The largest city is Abidjan, a port city with a population estimated at 4.5 million and a metro population exceeding 5.1 million. Abidjan is the 3rd largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris and Kinshasa, and only Lagos has a larger population in West Africa. The capital of Ivory Coast is Yamoussoukro, which has a population of 355,000, which makes it the country's 4th most populous city.

Ivory Coast Demographics

Ivory Coast is home to many ethnic groups. The largest is the Akan at 42%. Akans are an indigenous ethnic group, but not a racially homogeneous ethnicity. The next largest ethnic groups are the Gur (17.6%), Northern Mandes (16.5%), Krous (11%), Southern Mandes (10%). There are about 30,000 Lebanese and 45,000 French as well. About 4% of the population is non-African, which includes French, Lebanese, Vietnamese and Spanish residents, along with missionaries from the U.S. and Canada.

77% of the population are considered Ivorians, and represent many cultural and linguistic groups. There are around 65 languages spoken in Ivory Coast, but the most common is Dyula, which is spoken by most of the Muslim population.

Ivory Coast Religion, Economy and Politics

The native-born of Ivory Coast are split into Muslim (38.6%), Christian (32.8%) and animist or indigenous religion (28%). Ivory Coast is one of the most economically successful countries in West Africa, and about 20% of its population is workers from neighboring countries Guinea, Burkina Faso and Liberia.

Since 2016, the Ivory Coast has been the fastest growing economy in Africa, with an astonishing annual growth rate of around 8%, which is much higher than the surrounding nations. Even though the country is doing well financially overall, there is extreme wealth inequality and over half of the coast remains in poverty. The growth the Ivory Coast is experiencing is due to the African Development Bank returning to the area in 2014, the building of the HKB bridge to connect the wealthy residential part of the country to the industrial districts, and large investments in the country's energy sector.

Ivory Coast Population History

For many centuries, the Ivory Coast was ruled by one of many Island Empires of the region. The French began to have an interest in exploring the area in the 1600s, but they didn't gain control over the country until the mid-1800s. The French behaved as though their culture was superior to those of the native people and pushed their language and customs on them.

After loyalty from the indigenous people during the Second World War, France granted French citizenship to those under the French rule, further encouraging the people of the Ivory Coast to assimilate. However, they were allowed to become an autonomous nation in 1958. Ivorians have engaged in two civil wars since the turn of the 21st century, killing many of their own, largely over who is power.