Demographics of Mozambique

Demographics of Mozambique
Population pyramid of Mozambique in 2020
Population	31,691,009(2022 est.)
Growth rate	2.56% (2022 est.)
Birth rate	37.47 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate	10.25 deaths/1,009 population (2023 est.)
Life expectancy	57.1 years
Fertility rate	4.81 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate	61.38 deaths/1,009 live births
Net migration rate	-1.58 migrant(s)/1,009 population (2023 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) (Data refer to national projections based on 2007 census.):

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

Population, fertility rate and net reproduction rate, United Nations estimates

Registration of vital events is in Mozambique not complete. The website Our World in Data prepared the following estimates based on statistics from the Population Department of the United Nations.

	Mid-year population (thousands)	Live births (thousands)	Deaths (thousands)	Natural change (thousands)	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)	Total fertility rate (TFR)	Infant mortality (per 1000 live births)	Life expectancy (in years)
1950	5 920	277	160	117	46.7	27.0	19.7	5.99	204.4	37.26
1951	6 002	280	160	120	46.5	26.6	19.9	6.02	203.0	37.49
1952	6 082	284	159	125	46.5	26.1	20.4	6.06	200.2	37.93
1953	6 160	287	159	128	46.4	25.6	20.8	6.09	197.3	38.33
1954	6 237	291	158	133	46.4	25.2	21.2	6.11	194.5	38.77
1955	6 319	295	158	137	46.4	24.8	21.6	6.14	191.6	39.18
1956	6 404	299	157	141	46.4	24.4	22.0	6.16	188.8	39.63
1957	6 493	303	157	146	46.5	24.1	22.4	6.18	186.0	40.02
1958	6 580	307	157	150	46.4	23.7	22.7	6.19	183.3	40.46
1959	6 676	314	157	157	46.9	23.4	23.5	6.24	180.8	40.85
1960	6 788	322	158	164	47.3	23.2	24.1	6.32	178.5	41.22
1961	6 918	329	159	170	47.5	22.9	24.6	6.38	176.6	41.59
1962	7 060	337	161	176	47.7	22.8	24.9	6.45	175.1	41.83
1963	7 210	345	164	181	47.7	22.7	25.0	6.49	174.1	41.93
1964	7 364	351	169	182	47.6	22.9	24.7	6.52	174.0	41.67
1965	7 524	357	172	186	47.4	22.8	24.6	6.55	173.8	41.70
1966	7 690	365	176	189	47.4	22.8	24.6	6.59	173.9	41.64
1967	7 859	372	179	193	47.3	22.7	24.5	6.63	174.0	41.66
1968	8 036	380	183	197	47.2	22.7	24.5	6.67	174.2	41.67
1969	8 218	389	186	202	47.2	22.6	24.6	6.71	174.2	41.71
1970	8 412	396	190	206	47.1	22.5	24.5	6.72	174.0	41.76
1971	8 623	403	194	210	46.8	22.5	24.3	6.72	174.3	41.74
1972	8 861	413	199	214	46.8	22.5	24.3	6.74	173.5	41.59
1973	9 124	426	204	222	46.8	22.4	24.4	6.73	173.1	41.71
1974	9 404	441	208	233	47.0	22.1	24.8	6.71	172.6	42.07
1975	9 704	457	211	246	47.2	21.8	25.4	6.69	171.6	42.58
1976	10 019	474	218	257	47.5	21.8	25.7	6.66	171.2	42.64
1977	10 364	493	225	268	47.8	21.8	26.0	6.64	171.0	42.70
1978	10 741	515	233	283	48.2	21.8	26.4	6.61	170.7	42.80
1979	11 128	539	243	296	48.6	21.9	26.7	6.58	170.8	42.74
1980	11 414	559	251	308	48.7	21.9	26.8	6.52	170.8	42.80
1981	11 640	563	277	286	48.3	23.8	24.6	6.46	181.4	40.54
1982	11 902	570	280	290	47.8	23.5	24.4	6.40	180.6	40.70
1983	12 163	580	284	297	47.7	23.3	24.4	6.39	179.6	40.83
1984	12 426	593	311	282	47.6	25.0	22.7	6.40	178.2	38.38
1985	12 680	602	313	289	47.4	24.7	22.7	6.38	176.6	38.66
1986	12 910	612	295	317	47.2	22.8	24.4	6.36	164.8	40.68
1987	12 965	621	298	323	47.1	22.6	24.5	6.34	163.0	40.84
1988	12 957	614	269	345	46.9	20.6	26.3	6.30	161.3	43.84
1989	13 088	616	268	348	46.7	20.3	26.4	6.28	159.6	44.14
1990	13 303	619	268	352	46.4	20.0	26.3	6.22	158.0	44.47
1991	13 561	626	270	356	46.0	19.8	26.2	6.16	156.2	44.66
1992	13 817	632	271	361	45.6	19.5	26.0	6.10	154.0	44.95
1993	14 206	640	270	370	45.3	19.1	26.2	6.03	151.3	45.35
1994	14 913	659	276	383	44.9	18.9	26.1	5.96	147.9	45.61
1995	15 595	693	287	406	44.5	18.4	26.1	5.90	143.8	46.04
1996	16 080	711	287	424	44.3	17.9	26.4	5.85	138.9	46.64
1997	16 522	736	287	449	44.4	17.3	27.1	5.89	133.4	47.41
1998	16 923	749	285	464	44.2	16.8	27.4	5.86	127.6	48.02
1999	17 338	764	282	483	44.0	16.2	27.8	5.83	121.5	48.81
2000	17 769	779	279	499	43.7	15.7	28.1	5.81	115.9	49.49
2001	18 221	792	277	515	43.4	15.2	28.2	5.78	110.0	50.07
2002	18 695	806	276	530	43.0	14.7	28.3	5.73	105.0	50.59
2003	19 187	824	277	547	42.9	14.4	28.5	5.73	100.5	50.87
2004	19 694	834	277	557	42.3	14.1	28.2	5.67	96.3	51.25
2005	20 211	847	278	569	41.9	13.8	28.1	5.61	92.6	51.56
2006	20 736	860	278	582	41.4	13.4	28.0	5.55	89.0	51.96
2007	21 281	876	275	600	41.1	12.9	28.2	5.51	84.5	52.57
2008	21 846	911	274	636	41.6	12.5	29.1	5.58	80.8	53.16
2009	22 437	942	273	669	41.9	12.1	29.8	5.63	77.3	53.79
2010	23 074	970	275	695	42.0	11.9	30.1	5.63	75.8	54.20
2011	23 760	989	273	716	41.6	11.5	30.1	5.55	72.9	54.87
2012	24 488	1 006	269	737	41.1	11.0	30.1	5.45	70.2	55.64
2013	25 252	1 024	265	759	40.5	10.5	30.1	5.34	67.7	56.49
2014	26 039	1 021	260	761	39.3	10.0	29.2	5.13	65.2	57.27
2015	26 843	1 041	255	786	38.8	9.5	29.3	5.06	62.3	58.15
2016	27 696	1 063	250	813	38.4	9.0	29.4	4.99	59.9	59.04
2017	28 569	1 089	248	841	38.1	8.7	29.4	4.92	58.3	59.77
2018	29 424	1 111	245	866	37.8	8.3	29.4	4.85	56.7	60.53
2019	29 884	1 169	241	928	37.3	8.0	29.3	5.02	55.0	61.3
2020	30 784	1 192	246	948	37.0	8.0	29.0	4.96	53.4	61.4
2021	31 708	1 218	266	951	36.6	8.8	27.8	4.91	52.0	60.3
2022	32 656	1 241	237	1 004	37.8	8.3	29.4	4.84	56.7	63.0
2023	33 635	1 261	236	1 025	37.8	7.0	30.5	4.76	56.7	63.6

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.

Demographic and Health Surveys

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

Year	Total		Urban		Rural
	CBR	TFR	CBR	TFR	CBR	TFR
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
2022-23	34.5	4.9 (4.2)	28.8	3.6 (3.1)	37.3	5.8 (5.0)

Fertility data by province (DHS Program):

Province	Total fertility rate (2011)	Total fertility rate (2015)	Total fertility rate (2018)	Total fertility rate (2022-23)
Niassa	7.1	6.6	6.4	6.8
Cabo Delgado	6.6	5.6	6.1	6.2
Nampula	6.1	5.2	6.0	5.8
Zambézia	6.8	6.3	6.2	5.1
Tete	6.8	6.2	6.0	5.1
Manica	5.8	6.2	5.8	5.5
Sofala	6.1	6.0	6.4	4.9
Inhambane	4.9	4.3	4.1	4.0
Gaza	5.3	4.7	4.1	3.7
Maputo Província	4.1	3.4	3.0	2.8
Maputo Cidade	3.1	2.5	2.2	2.1

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

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 and Manyika) 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.

Ethnic groups in Mozambique

Ethnic group	Census 2017
	Number	%
Black	26,637,425	99.03%
Mestiço	212,540	0.79%
White	22,258	0.08%
Indian	15,492	0.06%
Pakistani	4,423	0.02%
Chinese	1,746	0.01%
Other	5,221	0.02%
Total	26,899,105

Languages

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%

Main article: Languages of Mozambique

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

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%

Main article: Religion in Mozambique

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.

References

Attribution:

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