Demographics of Mozambique

Demographics of Mozambique
Population pyramid of Mozambique in 2020
Population	31,693,239 (2022 est.)
Growth rate	2.56% (2022 est.)
Birth rate	37.47 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate	10.25 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy	57.1 years
Fertility rate	4.81 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate	61.38 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate	-1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	45.57%
65 and over	2.93%
Nationality
Nationality	Mozambican
Major ethnic	African (99%)

Mozambiques population between 1960 and 2017.

The demographics of Mozambique describes the condition and overview of Mozambique's peoples. Demographic topics include basic education, health, and population statistics as well as identified racial and religious affiliations.

Population

Demographics of Mozambique, Data of Our World in Data, year 2022 ; Number of inhabitants in millions.

According to the 2022 revision of the world factbook the total population was 31,693,239 in 2022. The proportion of children below the age of 14 in 2020 was 45.57%, 51.5% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 2.93% was 65 years or older. A population census took place in 2017, and the preliminary results indicate a population of 28 861 863 inhabitants.

	Total population	Population aged 0–14 (%)	Population aged 15–64 (%)	Population aged 65+ (%)
1950	6 442 000	41.7	55.6	2.7
1955	6 972 000	41.9	55.4	2.7
1960	7 647 000	42.3	55.0	2.8
1965	8 474 000	42.9	54.3	2.8
1970	9 453 000	43.5	53.6	2.9
1975	10 620 000	43.8	53.2	3.0
1980	12 146 000	43.8	53.1	3.0
1985	13 335 000	44.7	52.2	3.1
1990	13 547 000	46.6	50.2	3.3
1995	15 933 000	44.2	52.7	3.1
2000	18 201 000	43.9	53.0	3.2
2005	20 770 000	44.4	52.4	3.2
2010	23 391 000	44.1	52.6	3.3
2020	30 098 197	45.6	51.5	2.9

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020):

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	14 501 196	15 565 452	30 066 648	100
0–4	2 315 310	2 295 586	4 610 896	15.34
5–9	2 487 720	2 531 664	5 019 384	16.69
10–14	2 076 198	2 067 546	4 143 744	13.78
15–19	1 594 940	1 630 074	3 225 014	10.73
20–24	1 264 746	1 481 775	2 746 521	9.13
25–29	1 000 516	1 222 754	2 223 270	7.39
30–34	802 315	906 767	1 709 082	5.68
35–39	673 119	774 993	1 448 112	4.82
40–44	574 984	660 820	1 235 804	4.11
45–49	454 062	504 057	958 119	3.19
50–54	343 740	397 999	741 739	2.47
55–59	264 107	302 253	566 360	1.88
60–64	203 386	229 467	432 853	1.44
65-69	159 568	188 765	348 333	1.16
70-74	109 258	134 617	243 875	0.81
75-79	69 868	89 298	159 166	0.53
80+	107 359	147 017	254 376	0.85
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	6 879 228	6 894 796	13 774 024	45.81
15–64	7 175 915	8 110 959	15 286 874	50.84
65+	446 053	559 697	1 005 750	3.35

Vital statistics

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

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR*	CDR*	NC*	TFR*	IMR*
1950-1955	331 000	220 000	111 000	49.4	32.8	16.5	6.60	220
1955-1960	359 000	219 000	140 000	49.1	30.0	19.1	6.60	201
1960-1965	392 000	222 000	170 000	48.6	27.5	21.1	6.60	185
1965-1970	430 000	230 000	201 000	48.0	25.6	22.4	6.60	172
1970-1975	474 000	236 000	238 000	47.2	23.5	23.7	6.58	158
1975-1980	534 000	247 000	288 000	46.9	21.7	25.3	6.53	146
1980-1985	584 000	272 000	313 000	45.9	21.3	24.5	6.44	143
1985-1990	586 000	283 000	302 000	43.6	21.1	22.5	6.33	143
1990-1995	640 000	293 000	347 000	43.4	19.9	23.6	6.12	134
1995-2000	739 000	301 000	438 000	43.3	17.6	25.7	5.85	115
2000-2005	844 000	326 000	518 000	43.3	16.7	26.6	5.52	99
2005-2010	869 000	341 000	528 000	39.4	15.4	23.9	5.11	88
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

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.

Fertility and births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):

Year	CBR (Total)	TFR (Total)	CBR (Urban)	TFR (Urban)	CBR (Rural)	TFR (Rural)
1997		5.2 (4.7)		4.6 (4.1)		5.3 (4.9)
2003	40	5.5 (4.9)	31	4.4 (3.8)	49	6.1 (5.5)
2011	41.6	5.9 (5.1)	37.4	4.5 (3.8)	43.4	6.6 (5.8)
2015	38.0	5.3	30.8	3.6	41.2	6.1
2018	37.5	5.4	31.2	3.9	40.2	6.2

Fertility data by province (DHS Program):

Province	Total fertility rate (2011)	Total fertility rate (2015)	Total fertility rate (2018)
Niassa	7.1	6.6	6.4
Cabo Delgado	6.6	5.6	6.1
Nampula	6.1	5.2	6.0
Zambézia	6.8	6.3	6.2
Tete	6.8	6.2	6.0
Manica	5.8	6.2	5.8
Sofala	6.1	6.0	6.4
Inhambane	4.9	4.3	4.1
Gaza	5.3	4.7	4.1
Maputo Província	4.1	3.4	3.0
Maputo Cidade	3.1	2.5	2.2

Life expectancy

Development of life expectancy

Period	Life expectancy in Years
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

Ethnic groups

Ethnic groups in Mozambique (2017)
Ethnic groups
African			99%
Mestiço			0.8%
Other			0.2%

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. 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.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Mozambique

Languages of Mozambique (2017)
Languages			percent
Emakhuwa			26.1%
Portuguese			16.6%
Xichangana			8.6%
Nyanja			8.1%
Cisena			7.1%
Elomwe			7.1%
Echuwabo			4.7%
Cindau			3.8%
Xitswa			3.8%
Other Mozambican			11.8%
Other			0.5%
Unspecified			1.8%

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. 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.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Mozambique

Religions of Mozambique (2015)
Religions			percent
Roman Catholic			30.5%
Islam			19.3%
Protestant			18.4%
Zionist Christian			10.3%
Evangelical/Pentecostal			9.5%
None			9.9%
Other			1.4%
Anglican			0.8%

Culture

See also: Music of Mozambique

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.

Education and health

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.

Other demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2022.

• One birth every 27 seconds
• One death every 2 minutes
• One net migrant every 103 minutes
• Net gain of one person every 34 seconds

The following demographic are from the CIA World Factbook unless otherwise indicated.

Population

31,693,239 (2022 est.)

27,233,789 (July 2018 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 27.2%, Muslim 18.9%, Zionist Christian 15.6%, Evangelical/Pentecostal 15.3%, Anglican 1.7%, other 4.8%, none 13.9%, unspecified 2.5% (2017 est.)

Age structure

Population pyramid of Mozambique in 2020

0-14 years: 45.57% (male 6,950,800/female 6,766,373)

15-24 years: 19.91% (male 2,997,529/female 2,994,927)

25-54 years: 28.28% (male 3,949,085/female 4,564,031)

55-64 years: 3.31% (male 485,454/female 509,430)

65 years and over: 2.93% (male 430,797/female 449,771) (2020 est.)

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.)

Birth rate

37.47 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 10th

37.8 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 11th

Death rate

10.25 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 33rd

11.4 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.81 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 12th

5.02 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 12th

Median age

total: 17 years. Country comparison to the world: 219th male: 16.3 years female: 17.6 years (2020 est.)

total: 17.3 years. Country comparison to the world: 220th

male: 16.7 years

female: 17.8 years (2018 est.)

Population growth rate

2.56% (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 18th

2.46% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 25th

Mother's mean age at first birth

19.2 years (2011 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 20-49

18.9 years (2011 est.)

median age at first birth among women 25-29

Contraceptive prevalence rate

27.1% (2015)

Net migration rate

-1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 160th

-1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 160th

Urbanization

See also: Mozambique § Largest cities

urban population: 38.2% of total population (2022)

rate of urbanization: 4.24% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population: 36% of total population (2018)

rate of urbanization: 4.35% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Net migration rate

-1.9 migrants/1,000 population (2017)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 93.5 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio: 87.5 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio: 6.1 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio: 16.5 (2015 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.), 1.02 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
under 15 years: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.), 1.01 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.), 0.949 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (2003 est.), 0.717 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.), 0.968 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 57.1 years. Country comparison to the world: 224th male: 55.76 years female: 58.49 years (2022 est.)

total population: 54.1 years

male: 53.3 years

female: 54.9 years (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS — people living with HIV/AIDS: 2.1 million (2017 est.) HIV/AIDS — deaths: 70,000 (2017 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever

water contact diseases: schistosomiasis

animal contact diseases: rabies

note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Mozambique is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

Nationality

noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican

Ethnic groups

Indigenous tribal groups (including the Shangana, Chokwe, Manyika, Sena, Makua, Ndau, among others) make up 98.61% of Mozambique's total population. People of mixed race are the largest minority, totaling 0.84% from the remaining figure, while Portuguese Mozambicans and Mozambicans of Indian descent represent 0.36% and 0.2% of the population respectively . There are noteworthy Chinese and Arab communities.

Languages

Portuguese language (official)
Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8% (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe 7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%, other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census)

Education expenditures

6.2% of GDP (2019) Country comparison to the world: 29th

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

total population: 60.7%

male: 72.6%

female: 50.3% (2017)

total population: 56% (2015 est.)

male: 70.8% (2015 est.)

female: 43.1% (2015 est.)

total population: 47.8% (2003 est.), 40.1% (1995 est.)

male: 63.5% (2003 est.), 57.7% (1995 est.)

female: 32.7% (2003 est.), 23.4% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 10 years (2017)

male: 10 years (2017)

female: 9 years (2017)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 7.4% (2015 est.)

male: 7.7% (2015 est.)

female: 7.1% (2015 est.)

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook (2025 ed.). CIA. (Archived 2007 edition.)