Contents
Country Overview
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is an Atlantic-facing country of Africa with a continental mainland and the northern exclave of Cabinda. Its capital, Luanda, is a major regional urban and commercial center. The country encompasses diverse languages, communities and ecological regions, from northern tropical forests and the central highlands to the arid southwest. Angola became independent from Portugal on November 11, 1975; its civil war ended in 2002. Petroleum and natural gas dominate merchandise exports, while agriculture, mining, and non-oil services are important to domestic activity. The present constitutional order dates from 2010 and was revised in 2021. [4] [6]
Identity and State Formation
- Official name
- Republic of Angola (República de Angola).
- Common name
- Angola (Angola).
- Capital
- Luanda, on the Atlantic coast.
- Continent / UN M49 subregion
- Africa / Middle Africa (UN statistical classification); often described geographically and politically as Southern Africa. [17]
- Precolonial historical foundations
- The territory included the Kingdom of Kongo, the Ndongo and Matamba polities, and other societies with distinct political and cultural histories. [5]
- Portuguese colonial presence
- Portuguese contact began in the late fifteenth century; effective colonial control expanded unevenly over succeeding centuries. [5]
- Armed anticolonial struggle
- Began in 1961; different nationalist movements fought Portuguese rule. [5]
- Political transition
- Portugal’s April 25, 1974 revolution accelerated decolonization; the Alvor Agreement of January 15, 1975 provided a framework for transition but did not prevent renewed conflict. [5]
- Independence proclaimed
- November 11, 1975, ending Portuguese colonial rule; proclaimed in Luanda by Agostinho Neto. [5]
- National day
- Independence Day, November 11.
- Civil war and peace
- Civil war followed independence and ended with the April 4, 2002 peace memorandum following the death of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi; the longer conflict involved multiple phases and international intervention. [9]
- Current constitutional framework
- Constitution approved January 21, 2010 and promulgated February 5, 2010; revised in August 2021. [6] [7]
- ISO 3166-1 codes
- AO (alpha-2); AGO (alpha-3); 024 (numeric). [17]
- Internet country-code domain
- .ao
Historical context: Angola's modern national boundaries encompass a wide range of societies and languages rather than a single precolonial state. Portuguese trading and colonial networks, including the Atlantic slave trade and forced labor, profoundly affected the region. The movements most closely associated with the independence struggle were the MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA. Political and military rivalry after independence developed into a prolonged civil war. Contemporary state formation is therefore best understood through distinct precolonial, colonial, independence, constitutional, and postwar phases.
Geography and Population
- Total area
- 1,246,700 km² (approximately 481,354 sq. mi.). [4]
- Land area
- 1,246,700 km² (World Bank / FAO, 2024 land-area indicator); equal to the commonly reported national total-area figure in these standard references. [19]
- Population (2025 international estimate)
- 39,040,039 residents (World Bank, 2025). [1]
- Population (2024 national census)
- 36,604,681 residents, counted on September 19, 2024 (INE final census; published 2025). [2]
- Population density
- Approximately 31 residents per km², calculated from the World Bank 2025 population estimate and 1,246,700 km²; not an independently published national density figure.
- 2014 population census
- 25,789,024 residents; the 2024 census count was about 10.8 million higher. [2]
- Urban / rural residence
- 65.5% urban and 34.5% rural in the 2024 national census. [2]
- Population by sex
- Approximately 51% female and 49% male in the 2024 census. [2]
- Most populous province
- Luanda, accounting for roughly one-quarter of residents in the 2024 national census. [2]
- Principal cities
- Luanda, Huambo, Lobito, Benguela, Lubango, and Cabinda; city versus metropolitan definitions differ.
- Bordering states
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo (at the Cabinda exclave), Zambia, and Namibia. [4]
- Coastline
- Approximately 1,650 km along the Atlantic Ocean. [4]
- Cabinda
- Northern coastal exclave separated from the rest of Angola by a section of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; it borders the Republic of the Congo and the Atlantic Ocean. [4]
- Major physiographic features
- Coastal plain, central highlands / Bié Plateau, savannas, tropical forest zones in the north, and arid landscapes in the southwest.
- Major river systems
- Cuanza (Kwanza), Cunene (Kunene), Cubango (Okavango headwaters), and Congo River basin tributaries.
- Climate
- Tropical in much of the north and interior, cooler in the central highlands, and increasingly arid toward the southwest.
Population methodology: The 2024 INE census is a national enumeration at a specific date; the World Bank's 2025 value is a model-based annual international estimate. They are intentionally shown as distinct series and should not be interpreted as directly interchangeable census releases.
Economy and International Trade
- Economic system
- Mixed market economy with major petroleum and natural-gas industries, state-owned enterprises, and growing non-oil activities.
- Income group
- Lower-middle-income economy in the World Bank’s contemporary classification. [1]
- Nominal GDP
- Approximately US$122.17 billion (2025, current U.S. dollars; World Bank). [1]
- Nominal GDP per capita
- Approximately US$3,129.5 (2025, current U.S. dollars; World Bank). This is national output per person, not mean wages or median household income. [1]
- Real GDP growth
- 3.1% in 2025 (World Bank/IMF series). [1] [16]
- Consumer-price inflation
- 20.2% annual average in 2025 (World Bank/IMF). [1] [16]
- Unemployment
- 14.1% in 2025 (World Bank / ILO-modeled national unemployment estimate; method differs from some national labor-force surveys). [1]
- Currency
- Angolan kwanza (AOA); symbol Kz. [4]
- Principal economic sectors
- Oil and gas extraction, diamond mining, construction, trade, transport, agriculture, fisheries, and services.
- Merchandise exports
- US$39.2503 billion in 2024 (WTO / UN Comtrade reporting). [3]
- Merchandise imports
- US$13.9453 billion in 2024 (same trade dataset). [3]
- Merchandise trade balance
- Approximately US$25.31 billion surplus in 2024, calculated from the cited export and import figures; excludes services. [3]
- Principal merchandise export destination
- China, 41.4% of Angola’s 2024 merchandise export value; the European Union (as a bloc) and India were also major destinations. [3]
- Major merchandise import suppliers
- European Union (as a bloc), China, United Kingdom, India, and United States were among the leading suppliers in the 2024 WTO dataset. [3]
- Oil dependence
- Crude oil and liquefied natural gas together accounted for about 85.5% of reported merchandise exports in 2024. The economy and public finances remain sensitive to petroleum prices and production volumes. [3] [16]
Principal Merchandise Export Categories (2024)
| Export category | Reported value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Crude petroleum | US$31.26 billion | 79.6% |
| Liquefied natural gas | US$2.32 billion | 5.9% |
| Industrial diamonds, unworked / simply worked | US$1.53 billion | 3.9% |
| Floating or submersible drilling / production platforms | US$1.37 billion | 3.5% |
| Cargo and mixed-use transport vessels | US$0.63 billion | 1.6% |
| Other merchandise combined | Remaining reported products | 5.5% |
People and Society
- Official language
- Portuguese. [4]
- Other major languages
- Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo, Cokwe / Chokwe, Olunyaneka, Oxikwanyama, and other Bantu languages. [15]
- Mother tongue: Portuguese
- 45.5% of residents reported Portuguese as their mother tongue in the 2024 census. [2]
- Mother tongue: Umbundu
- 17.1% in the 2024 census. [2]
- Mother tongue: Kimbundu
- 10.8% in the 2024 census. [2]
- Other mother tongues
- Cokwe 6.9%; Kikongo 6.8%; Olunyaneka 4.3%; Oxikwanyama 2.9% (selected 2024 census categories). [2]
- Religious affiliation: Catholic
- 44.2% of residents age 2 or older (2024 national census). [2]
- Religious affiliation: Protestant
- 34.9% of residents age 2 or older (2024 national census; multiple denominations grouped). [2]
- No religion
- 11.5% of residents age 2 or older (2024 national census). [2]
- Other religious responses
- Other religions 6.4%; Muslim 0.4%; animist 0.1%; Jewish 0.1%; unknown / no answer 2.4% (2024 national census, age 2+). [2]
- Constitutional religious status
- Secular state with constitutional protection for religious belief and worship. [6]
- Ethnolinguistic communities
- Includes Ovimbundu, Ambundu, Bakongo, Chokwe, and other communities; ethnic identity, native language, and census classifications are related but not equivalent.
- Life expectancy at birth
- Approximately 65 years in 2024 (World Bank series). [1]
- Cultural traditions
- Semba, kizomba, kuduro, and other music and dance traditions; literature in Portuguese and national languages; regional festivals and arts. [15]
- UNESCO cultural heritage
- Mbanza Kongo, former capital of the Kingdom of Kongo, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017. [15]
Census interpretation: Language percentages refer to mother tongue, not all languages a person can speak. Religious percentages refer only to the population age two or older surveyed in the 2024 census. Some percentages may not sum exactly due to rounding.
Government and Institutions
- Form of government
- Presidential constitutional republic with a multiparty political system. [6]
- Constitution
- Constitution of 2010, with the first partial revision enacted August 16, 2021. [6] [7]
- Head of state and executive
- President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço (in office since September 26, 2017; latest status checked November 4, 2026). [9]
- Vice president
- Esperança Maria Eduardo Francisco da Costa (in office since September 2022; latest status checked November 4, 2026). [10]
- Executive branch
- President exercises executive power and is assisted by a vice president, ministers of state, ministers, and other executive institutions. [6]
- Presidential selection
- The candidate heading the national list of the party or coalition receiving the most votes in a general election becomes president; this differs from a separate presidential ballot. [6] [11]
- Legislature
- Unicameral National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional) with 220 statutory seats. [11]
- Legislative term
- Five-year general-election cycle under the constitutional electoral system. [6]
- Judiciary
- Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, and other courts within the national judiciary. [6]
- Administrative divisions
- 21 provinces, 326 municipalities, and 378 communes under Law No. 14/24; system in force since January 1, 2025. [8]
- Administrative reorganization
- The 2025 division added Icolo e Bengo, Cuando, and Moxico Leste while reorganizing former territorial units; older references listing 18 provinces are outdated. [8]
- Main political parties
- Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), alongside smaller parties represented in the assembly. [11]
- Last completed general election
- August 24, 2022; MPLA won a legislative majority, with UNITA the largest opposition party. [11]
Government-reference convention: Officeholders reflect the editorial cutoff, not a permanent attribute. This profile reports the constitutional method of selecting the president rather than calling the office a separately elected direct presidency. The updated 21-province framework supersedes legacy references still visible on some institutional websites.
International Profile
- United Nations
- Admitted December 1, 1976. [12]
- African Union
- Member; Angola joined the Organization of African Unity after independence and participates in its successor, the African Union.
- Southern African Development Community (SADC)
- Founding participant in the Southern African Development Coordination Conference of 1980, predecessor of SADC. [13]
- World Trade Organization
- Member since November 23, 1996; member of GATT from April 8, 1994. [18]
- Community of Portuguese Language Countries
- Member of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP).
- Other international affiliations
- African Continental Free Trade Area, African Union, United Nations, SADC, WTO, and other multilateral and regional institutions.
- OPEC membership (historical)
- Withdrew from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries effective January 1, 2024; not an OPEC member as of this reference date. [14]
- Key external economic relationships
- China is the leading recorded merchandise export destination; European Union markets and India are also important. [3]
- Geopolitical setting
- Atlantic-facing Central / Southern African state with strong cross-border links to the Congo Basin and southern African regional institutions.
- Standard time
- UTC+1 (West Africa Time; no seasonal daylight saving time).
- International dialing code
- +244.
Sources and Verification
Editorial cutoff: November 4, 2026. National census figures are cited by enumeration date; international demographic and national accounts estimates are identified by series year. Detailed export values refer to the 2024 merchandise-trade reporting period and exclude services. Current officeholders reflect the reference cutoff.
- World Bank, Angola Country Data — 2025 population, GDP, GDP per capita, GDP growth, modeled unemployment and inflation; latest life-expectancy release.
- Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), 2024 Population and Housing Census, Final Results — 2024 census population, urban residence, mother tongues and religious affiliation (final report published November 2025; see sections 2, 7.8 and 7.11).
- World Trade Organization, Angola Tariff & Trade Profile — 2024 merchandise exports, imports, commodities and destination-market shares from UN Comtrade; excludes trade in services.
- Embassy of Angola, Country Overview — National name, area, borders, Cabinda, currency and official language.
- Embassy of Angola, National History / Country Overview — Precolonial, colonial, independence and national historical background; milestones independently cross-checked against government commemorations.
- Embassy of Angola, Constitution of the Republic — Adoption and promulgation of the 2010 constitution and institutional architecture; read with the 2021 revision.
- Angolan Constitutional Amendment Law No. 18/21 of August 16, 2021 — First partial revision of the 2010 Constitution.
- Angolan Ministry of Interior, Political-Administrative Division — 21 provinces, 326 municipalities and 378 communes under the reorganization effective January 2025.
- Government of Angola, President’s October 15, 2026 State of the Nation Address — Current president and term chronology, national independence and April 2002 peace context.
- Office of the Vice President, Official Biography — Current vice president and 2022 accession.
- Inter-Parliamentary Union, Angola National Assembly and 2022 Election — 220-seat unicameral assembly, 2022 general election, parliamentary party composition.
- United Nations, Member States — Date of admission to the UN, December 1, 1976.
- Southern African Development Community, Angola Member Profile — SADC membership and historic regional institutional relationship.
- Angola Presidential Decree No. 233/23, Withdrawal from OPEC — OPEC membership withdrawal effective January 1, 2024.
- Embassy of Angola, Culture and Society — Languages, music, literature, and Mbanza Kongo World Heritage background.
- International Monetary Fund, 2026 Article IV Consultation with Angola — 2025 real GDP, inflation, non-oil economy and petroleum dependence.
- United Nations Statistics Division, M49 Geographic Regions — Middle Africa classification and country codes.
- World Trade Organization, Angola Member Information — GATT and WTO accession dates.
- World Bank / FAOSTAT, Angola Land Area (2024) — Land-area indicator, 1,246,700 square kilometers in 2024.
Data conventions: GDP per capita is national economic output divided by population, not average earnings. Merchandise exports exclude international services. Mother tongue differs from languages spoken in daily life. The 2024 census population differs from the World Bank's 2025 demographic estimate because of both reference period and estimation method. References to 18 provinces predate Angola's 2025 administrative reorganization.