Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Angola

One in every 92 babies in the world is born here: about 1,450,650 a year, 2.8 a minute.

Population: 39,040,039
Births a year: 1,450,650
Life expectancy: 64.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 49

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
67.3
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
62.3
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
32.1
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
49
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
183
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
1.6
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
≈ 10
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
4.1
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
26.1
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
4.1
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
5.05
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
23
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
78
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
51
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
10
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
30.1
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$8,760
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
51
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
39.3
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
14.1
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
52
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
72
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
33
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
71
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
56
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
68
World: 91
Internet users (%)
41
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
3.8
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0.04
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.03
World: 0.34

≈ Estimated from the region

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 38 → 2026: 64.8 → 2050: 68.8

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 279 → 2026: 43 → 2050: 12

World

Children per woman

1960: 6.7 → 2026: 4.9 → 2050: 3.2

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 10 → 2026: 72 → 2050: 93

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Angola comes up about once in every 92 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.