The demographics of Angola consist of three main ethnic groups, each speaking a Bantu language: Ovimbundu 37%, Mbundu 25%, and Bakongo 13%. Other groups include Chokwe (or Lunda), Ganguela, Nhaneca-Humbe, Ambo, Herero, and Xindunga. In addition, mixed race (European and African) people amount to about 2%, with a small (1%) population of whites, mainly ethnically Portuguese. Portuguese make up the largest non-African population, with at about 40,000 (though many native-born Angolans can claim Portuguese nationality under Portuguese law). In 1975, 250,000 Cuban soldiers arrived in Angola to help the MPLA forces during the civil war. Some Cubans are of European and Asian (mostly Chinese) descent but throughout Cuba a strong African and mulatto component exists, whose ancestors are mostly Congo/Angolan. In 1989, the majority of Cubans departed the country after a peace agreement was signed between Angola, Cuba, and South Africa. The remaining 100,000 Cubans speak the Spanish language, but almost all their descendants speak Portuguese. The country also has a Chinese minority, including Macanese people of mixed Portuguese and Chinese blood from Macau. Blacks from other African countries (mostly Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal) migrated to Angola. Portuguese is both the official and predominant language, 60% of them — including Cubans, white Portuguese, and mestiços — speak it as their first language. 40% of Angolans, including Afrikaners and the remainder (blacks), speak Afrikaans and Bantu languages (most spoken of these are Umbundu, Kimbundu, and Kikongo) as their first languages. Blacks from Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal speak English, French, and their native African languages aside from Portuguese. Many educated Angolans can speak English as a second or third language. It has been the most popular language to learn. Christianity is officially the most claimed religion of Angola. The largest denomination of this is Roman Catholicism, but there are also followers of Protestantism, and African Initiated Churches most of them are Bantu speakers and some Portuguese. As of 2006, one out of 221 people were Jehovah's Witnesses. Blacks from Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal are mostly Muslims. The rest of Angolans retain all or in part African Traditional Religion following different ethnic faiths.
The great majority of the inhabitants are of Bantu speaking communities. In the south-east are various group of Bushmen. The best-known of the Bantu speaking communities are the Bakongo (Bafioti), who dwell chiefly in the north, and the Abunda (Mbunda, Babundo), who occupy the central part of the province, which takes its name from the Ngola, the title of the kings of the Mbundu peoples. Another of these ethnic groups, the Bangala, living on the west bank of the upper Kwango, must not be confounded with the Bangala of the middle Congo. The Ba-Lunda inhabit the Lunda district. Along the upper Kunene and in other districts of the plateau are settlements of Afrikaners, the Afrikaner population being about 2000. In the coast towns the majority of the white inhabitants are Portuguese. The Mushi-Kongo and other divisions of the Ba-Kongo retain curious traces of the Christianity professed by them in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and possibly later. Crucifixes are used as potent charms or as symbols of power passing down from chief to chief; whilse most have a "Santu" or Christian name and is dubbed dom or dona. African Traditional Religion is the prevailing faith throughout the province. The residences of the population are usually small huts of traditional construction, used chiefly as sleeping apartments; the day is spent in an open space in front of the hut protected from the sun by a roof of palm or other leaves.
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Population growth
There are 12,263,596 Angolan citizens as of July 2007. [1] The population is predominately quite young, with 43.7% between the ages of less than one and 14 years old, 2,678,185 males and 2,625,933 females. 53.5% of the population is between the ages of 15 and 64 years old, with 3,291,954 males and 3,195,688 females. 2.8% are 65 years and over, 148,944 males and 186,367 females as of 2006. The median age for males and females is 18 years old. The population is growing by 2.184% annually. There are 44.51 births and 24.81 deaths per 1,000 citizens. The net migration rate is 2.14 migrants per 1,000 citizens. The fertility rate of Angola is 6.27 children born per woman as of 2006. The infant mortality rate is 184.44 deaths for every 1,000 live births with 196.55 deaths for males and 171.72 deaths for females for every 1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth is 37.63 years; 36.73 years for males and 38.57 years for females.
Sex ratio
There are 1.05 males for every female with 1.02 males to female for those under the age of 15, 1.03 males for the 15 to 64 age bracket, 0.8 males for the 65 years and over bracket and 1.02 males to female for the total population as of 2006.
Disease
The adult prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS infection is 3.9% as of 2003. There are 240,000 citizens living with AIDS and 21,000 die annually. The risk of contracting disease is very high. There are food and waterborne diseases, bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever; vectorborne diseases, malaria, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness); respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis, and schistosomiasis, a water contact disease, as of 2005.
Ethnic groups
37% of Angolans are Ovimbundu, 25% are Kimbundu, 13% are Bakongo, 2% are mestiço, 1% are Portuguese, and other ethnicities make up 22% of Angola's population.
Religions
Angola is a majority Christian country, with 53% of citizens professing the religion. Most Angolan Christians are Roman Catholic, 38%, or Protestant, 15%. 46.8% of Angolans practice indigenous beliefs, and .2% are Buddhist as of 2006.
Literacy
Portuguese is the official language of Angola, but Bantu and other African languages are also widely spoken. Literacy is quite low, with 67.4% of the population over the age of 15 able to read and write in Portuguese. 82.9% of males and 54.2% of women are literate as of 2001.
References
- This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2007 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
- This article contains material from the US Department of State's Background Notes which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain. 2003
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