2026 Facts & Figures: AFRICA

By 2034, AFRICA is projected to have the largest working-age population of any continent—an estimated 1.1 billion people. Nearly 440 million of them will be under the age of 25. Africa already has some of the highest rates of youth entrepreneurship in the world. But while young people are driving innovation
and launching start-ups, many still face major hurdles—such as limited access to education, technology, and funding.

^{Source: African Business}

AGE of the Namib Desert (left), the oldest desert in the world. Stretching nearly 1,200 miles along Africa’s southern Atlantic Coast from ANGOLA through NAMIBIA to SOUTH AFRICA, it’s home to some of the world’s largest sand dunes, reaching more than 1,000 feet high. The desert’s mysterious Skeleton Coast, where dense fog blows in from the ocean, has been the site of more than 1,000 shipwrecks over the centuries.

^Source: BBC

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO has announced the creation of the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor, a vast protected area spanning approximately 208,000 square miles—about 25 percent of the country’s territory. The initiative focuses on preserving the region’s rich biodiversity, including forests, wetlands, and wildlife. It aims to protect ecosystems that are critical for both environmental balance and the livelihoods of people in local communities.

^{Source: World Economic Forum}

In MADAGASCAR’s rainforests, scientists have discovered seven new species of tree frogs (below)—each with a call that some researchers say resembles Star Trek sound effects. Named after Star Trek starship captains such as Kirk, Picard, and Janeway, the frogs emit high-pitched whistles that help them communicate over the jungle’s background noise. 

^{Source: New Scientist}