Demographics of Mozambique

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 FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[1][2] the total population was 29,496,004 in 2018, compared to only 6 442 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 44.1%, 52.6% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.3% was 65 years or older .[3] A population census took place in 2017, and the preliminary results indicate a population of 28 861 863 inhabitants.[4]

	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

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events is in Mozambique not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. [3]

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR*	CDR*	NC*	TFR*	IMR*
1950-1955	331 000	220 000	111 000	49.4	32.8	16.5	6.60	220
1955-1960	359 000	219 000	140 000	49.1	30.0	19.1	6.60	201
1960-1965	392 000	222 000	170 000	48.6	27.5	21.1	6.60	185
1965-1970	430 000	230 000	201 000	48.0	25.6	22.4	6.60	172
1970-1975	474 000	236 000	238 000	47.2	23.5	23.7	6.58	158
1975-1980	534 000	247 000	288 000	46.9	21.7	25.3	6.53	146
1980-1985	584 000	272 000	313 000	45.9	21.3	24.5	6.44	143
1985-1990	586 000	283 000	302 000	43.6	21.1	22.5	6.33	143
1990-1995	640 000	293 000	347 000	43.4	19.9	23.6	6.12	134
1995-2000	739 000	301 000	438 000	43.3	17.6	25.7	5.85	115
2000-2005	844 000	326 000	518 000	43.3	16.7	26.6	5.52	99
2005-2010	869 000	341 000	528 000	39.4	15.4	23.9	5.11	88
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

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.[5]

Fertility and births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[6][7]

Year	CBR (Total)	TFR (Total)	CBR (Urban)	TFR (Urban)	CBR (Rural)	TFR (Rural)
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

Fertility data by province (DHS Program):[8][7]

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

Life expectancy

Period	Life expectancy in Years[9]
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

Ethnic groups in Mozambique (2017)[10]
Ethnic groups
African			99%
Mestiço			0.8%
Other			0.2%

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-Shangaan) 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.[11] 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.[12][13]

Languages

Main article: Languages of Mozambique

Languages of Mozambique (2017)[10]
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%

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.[14] 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

Main article: Religion in Mozambique

Religions of Mozambique (2015)[15]
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%

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.

Other demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.[16]

• One birth every 27 seconds
• One death every 2 minutes
• One net migrant every 103 minutes
• Net gain of one person every 36 seconds

The following demographic are from the CIA World Factbook[17] unless otherwise indicated.[18]

Population

27,233,789 (July 2018 est.)

Age structure

Population pyramid of Mozambique in 2017

0-14 years: 44.52% (male 6,097,116 /female 6,028,416)

15-24 years: 21.6% (male 2,905,254 /female 2,977,732)

25-54 years: 27.62% (male 3,525,755 /female 3,995,264)

55-64 years: 3.37% (male 442,990 /female 475,900)

65 years and over: 2.88% (male 359,624 /female 425,738) (2018 est.)

Birth rate

37.8 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 11th

Death rate

11.4 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.02 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 12th

Median age

total: 17.3 years. Country comparison to the world: 220th

male: 16.7 years

female: 17.8 years (2018 est.)

Population growth rate

2.46% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 25th

Mother's mean age at first birth

18.9 years (2011 est.)

median age at first birth among women 25-29

Contraceptive prevalence rate

27.1% (2015)

Net migration rate

-1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 160th

Urbanization

urban population: 36% of total population (2018)

rate of urbanization: 4.35% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Net migration rate

-1.9 migrants/1,000 population (2017)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 93.5 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio: 87.5 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio: 6.1 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio: 16.5 (2015 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.), 1.02 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
under 15 years: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.), 1.01 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.), 0.949 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (2003 est.), 0.717 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.), 0.968 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 54.1 years

male: 53.3 years

female: 54.9 years (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS — people living with HIV/AIDS: 2.1 million (2017 est.) HIV/AIDS — deaths: 70,000 (2017 est.)

Nationality

noun: Mozambican(s)
adjective: Mozambican

Ethnic groups

Indigenous tribal groups (including the Shangana, Chokwe, Manyika, Sena, Makua, Ndau, among others) make up 98.61% of Mozambique's total population. People of mixed race are the largest minority, totaling 0.84% from the remaining figure, while Portuguese Mozambicans and Mozambicans of Indian descent represent 0.36% and 0.2% of the population respectively . There are noteworthy Chinese and Arab communities.

Languages

Portuguese language (official)
Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8% (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe 7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%, other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

total population: 56% (2015 est.)

male: 70.8% (2015 est.)

female: 43.1% (2015 est.)

total population: 47.8% (2003 est.), 40.1% (1995 est.)

male: 63.5% (2003 est.), 57.7% (1995 est.)

female: 32.7% (2003 est.), 23.3% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 10 years (2017)

male: 10 years (2017)

female: 9 years (2017)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 7.4% (2015 est.)

male: 7.7% (2015 est.)

female: 7.1% (2015 est.)

References

1. ""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
2. ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). population.un.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
3. Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision Archived May 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
4. "Census shows Mozambique has 28.9 million inhabitants". 2018-01-04. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
5. "Moçambique Inquérito Demográfico e de Saúde 2011" (PDF). Moçambique Inquérito Demográfico e de Saúde. 2011.
6. "MEASURE DHS: Demographic and Health Surveys". microdata.worldbank.org.
7. "STATcompiler". www.statcompiler.com. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
8. "Demographics" (PDF). Moçambique Inquérito Demográfico e de Saúde.
9. "World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations". esa.un.org. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
10. "Africa :: MOZAMBIQUE". CIA The World Factbook.
11. Tay, Nastasya (22 December 2011). "Portugal's migrants hope for new life in old African colony" – via The Guardian.
12. Jian, Hong (2007), "莫桑比克华侨的历史与现状 (The History and Status Quo of Overseas Chinese in Mozambique)", West Asia and Africa, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (5), ISSN 1002-7122, archived from the original on 2011-06-17, retrieved 2008-10-29
13. Horta, Loro (2007-08-13), "China, Mozambique: old friends, new business", International Relations and Security Network Update, retrieved 2007-11-03
14. "LUSOFONIA EM MOÇAMBIQUE:COM OU SEM GLOTOFAGIA?" (PDF). II CONGRESSO INTERNACIONAL DE LINGUÍSTICA HISTÓRICA HOMENAGEM A ATALIBA TEIXEIRA DE CASTILHO. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-12.
15. "Moçambique: Inquérito de Indicadores de Imunização, Malária e HIV/SIDA em Moçambique (IMASIDA), 2015" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Ministério da Saúde & Instituto Nacional de Estatística. p. 40. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
16. "Mozambique Population 2019", World Population Review
17. "The World FactBook - Mozambique", The World Factbook, July 12, 2018 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
18. "CIA - The World Factbook -- Mozambique". www.umsl.edu.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document: "2007 edition".