Algeria | Facts & Information

Updated October 31, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

Infoplease has everything you need to know about Algeria. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about Algeria's geography, history, government, economy, population, culture, religion and languages. If that's not enough, click over to our collection of world maps and flags.

Facts & Figures

  • President: Abdelmadjid Tebboune (2019)

    Prime Minister: Ayman Benanderrahmane (2021)

    Total area: 919,590 sq mi (2,381,741 sq km)

    Population (2022 est.): 44,178,884 (growth rate: 1.34%); birth rate: 18.52/1000; infant mortality rate: 19.72/1000; life expectancy: 78.03

    Capital and largest city (2022 est.): Algiers, 2.854 million

    Other large cities: Oran, 922,000; Constantine, 530,100; Batna, 278,100; Annaba, 246,700

    Monetary unit: Dinar

    National name: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah

    Current government officials

    Ethnicity/race: Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%

    Religion: Muslim (official; predominantly Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Ahmadi Muslims, Shia Muslims, Ibadi  Muslims) <1% (2012 est.)

    National Holiday: Revolution Day, November 1

    Literacy rate: 81.4% (2018)

    Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2020 est.): $468.4 billion; per capita $10,700. Real growth rate: 1.4%. Inflation: 1.9%. Unemployment: 11.7%. Arable land: 3.2%. Agriculture: wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle. Labor force: 10.859 million; agriculture 10.8%, industry 30.9%, services 58.4% (2011 est.). Industries: petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing. Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc. Exports: $38.32 billion (2019 est.): petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%. Major trading partners (exports): Italy 13%, France 13%, Spain 12%, United States 7%, United Kingdom 7%, India 5%, South Korea 5% (2019). Imports: $54.26 billion (2019 est.): capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods. Major trading partners (imports): China 18%, France 14%, Italy 8%, Spain 8%, Germany 5%, Turkey 5% (2019). 

    Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 4,784,306 (2020); mobile cellular: 45,555,673 (2020). Internet hosts: 676 (2012). Internet users: 27,626,15 (2020).

    Transportation: Railways: total: 3,973 km (2014). Highways: total: 104,000 km; (2015). Ports and harbors: Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda. Airports: 149 (2021).

    International disputes: Algeria and many other states reject Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; the Polisario Front, exiled in Algeria, represents the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic; Algeria's border with Morocco remains an irritant to bilateral relations, each nation accusing the other of harboring militants and arms smuggling; dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected on its maps of southeastern Algeria and the National Liberation Front's (FLN) assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco

    Major sources and definitions