List of African cultural groups



Ethnic groups in Africa number in the hundreds, each generally having its own language (or dialect of a language) and culture.

Many ethnic groups and nations of Sub-Saharan Africa qualify, although some groups are of a size larger than a tribal society. These mostly originate with the Sahelian kingdoms of the medieval period, such as that of the  Igbo of Nigeria, deriving from the Kingdom of Nri (11th century).

Overview
The following ethnic groups number 10 million people or more:
 * Arab, up to ca. 100 million, see Demographics of the Arab League
 * Berber ca. 65 million
 * Hausa in Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Chad, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire and Sudan (ca. 30 million)
 * Yoruba in Nigeria and Benin (ca. 30 million)
 * Oromo in Ethiopia and Kenya (ca. 30 million)
 * Igbo in Nigeria and Cameroon (ca. 30 million)
 * Fula in Guinea, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Sierra Leone Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Chad, Sudan, Togo and Côte d'Ivoire (ca. 27 million)
 * Akan in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire (ca. 20 million)
 * Amhara in Ethiopia (ca. 20 million)
 * Somali in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya (ca. 15-17 million)
 * Hutu in Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo (ca. 16 million)
 * Ijaw in Nigeria (ca. 14 million)
 * Mandinka in The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Mauritania, Chad (ca. 13 million)
 * Kongo in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Republic of the Congo (ca. 10 million)
 * Shona in Zimbabwe and Mozambique (ca. 10 million)
 * Zulu in South Africa (ca. 10 million)

The official population count of the various ethnic groups in Africa has, in some instances, been controversial because certain groups believe populations are fixed to give other ethnicities numerical superiority, such as in the case of Nigeria and the Igbo people. The same is true in Senegal as well as The Gambia. The Wolof people, Toucouleur people and Lebou people all trace their descend to Serer people and are therefore not an independent ethnic group particularly the Wolof. Yet the Wolof are seen as the largest ethnic group in Senegal and third largest in The Gambia. Other ethnic groups who have assimilated with the Wolof are counted as Wolof when in fact, they are not. Certain organisations are pushing this generally referred to as Wolofization.