Demographics of Mozambique

Demographics of Mozambique, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[1][2] the total population was 29,496,004 in 2018, compared to only 6 442 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 44.1%, 52.6% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.3% was 65 years or older .[3] A population census took place in 2017, and the preliminary results indicate a population of 28 861 863 inhabitants.[4]

Registration of vital events is in Mozambique not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. [3]

Also, according to a 2011 survey, the total fertility rate was 5.9 children per woman, with 6.6 in rural areas and 4.5 in urban areas.[5]

Life expectancy

Period	Life expectancy in Years[9]
1950–1955	31.29
1955–1960	33.79
1960–1965	36.18
1965–1970	38.14
1970–1975	40.37
1975–1980	42.21
1980–1985	41.47
1985–1990	42.33
1990–1995	43.90
1995–2000	47.21
2000–2005	49.56
2005–2010	53.24
2010–2015	56.08

Mozambique's major ethnic groups encompass numerous subgroups with diverse languages, dialects, cultures, and histories. Many are linked to similar ethnic groups living in inland countries. The estimated 4 million Makua are the largest ethnic group of the country and are dominant in the northern part of the country — the Sena and Shona (mostly Ndau-Shangaan) are prominent in the Zambezi valley, and the Shangaan (Tsonga) dominate in southern Mozambique. Other groups include Makonde, Yao, Swahili, Tonga, Chopi, and Nguni (including Zulu). The country is also home to a growing number of white residents, most with Portuguese ancestry.[11] During colonial rule, European residents hailed from every Mozambican province, and at the time of independence the total population was estimated at around 360,000. Most vacated the region after independence in 1975, emigrating to Portugal as retornados. There is also a larger mestiço minority with mixed African and Portuguese heritage. The remaining non-Blacks in Mozambique are primarily Indian Asiatics, who have arrived from Pakistan, Portuguese India, and numerous Arab countries. There are various estimates for the size of Mozambique's Chinese community, ranging from 1,500 to 12,000 as of 2007.[12][13]

Portuguese is the official and most widely spoken language of the nation, but in 2017 only 47.4% of Mozambique's population speak Portuguese as either their first or second language, and only 16.6% speak Portuguese as their first language.[15] Arabs, Chinese, and Indians speak their own languages (Indians from Portuguese India speak any of the Portuguese Creoles of their origin) aside from Portuguese as their second language. Most educated Mozambicans speak English, which is used in schools and business as second or third language.

Despite the influence of Islamic coastal traders and European colonizers, the people of Mozambique have largely retained an indigenous culture based on smallscale agriculture. Mozambique's most highly developed art forms have been wood sculpture, for which the Makonde in northern Mozambique are particularly renowned, and dance. The middle and upper classes continue to be heavily influenced by the Portuguese colonial and linguistic heritage.

Under Portugal, educational opportunities for poor Mozambicans were limited; 93% of the Bantu population was illiterate, and many could not speak Portuguese. In fact, most of today's political leaders were educated in missionary schools. After independence, the government placed a high priority on expanding education, which reduced the illiteracy rate to about two-thirds as primary school enrollment increased. Unfortunately, in recent years school construction and teacher training enrollments have not kept up with population increases. With post-war enrollments reaching all-time highs, the quality of education has suffered. As a member of Commonwealth of Nations, most urban Mozambicans are required to learn English starting high-school.

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.[17]

• One birth every 27 seconds
• One death every 2 minutes
• One net migrant every 103 minutes
• Net gain of one person every 36 seconds

The following demographic are from the CIA World Factbook[18] unless otherwise indicated.[19]

Age structure

Population pyramid of Mozambique in 2017

0-14 years: 44.52% (male 6,097,116 /female 6,028,416)

15-24 years: 21.6% (male 2,905,254 /female 2,977,732)

25-54 years: 27.62% (male 3,525,755 /female 3,995,264)

55-64 years: 3.37% (male 442,990 /female 475,900)

65 years and over: 2.88% (male 359,624 /female 425,738) (2018 est.)

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 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document: "2007 edition".