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North Africa

Algeria

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia.

Muslim population99%of the population

Population47.4 millionpeople (current)

CapitalAlgiersUTC+1

Currency134 = $1Algerian dinars (DZD) (2024)

Country basics

Algeria is the largest country in Africa by area, on the Mediterranean with the Sahara to its south.

Algeria is a republic with Algiers as its capital and Arabic and Tamazight as official languages, with French widely used. The dinar is the currency, and natural gas and crude oil piped to Europe supply the majority of export earnings.

Official name

People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

Region

Africa · Northern Africa

Government

Unitary semi-presidential republic

Time zonesCheck the offset for your own city

UTC+01:00

Driving side

Right

Phone code

+213

Currency

Algerian dinar (DZD, د.ج)

Member of

Arab League; UN; African Union; OPEC

Website

https://www.el-mouradia.dz

Faith and language

Religions

Muslim (official; predominantly Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Ahmadi Muslim, Shia Muslim, Ibadi Muslim) <1%

Languages

Arabic

People and cities

Population

47.4 million (current)

Median ageHalf the population is younger than this

29.3 years (2025)

Living in cities

75.3% (2023)

Largest cities

Algiers (capital) 2.902 million · Oran 936,000

Money and cost of living

Exchange rateYearly average; check today’s rate before you budget

134 Algerian dinars (DZD) per US dollar (2024)

Income per personGDP per person, adjusted for local prices (2021 dollars)

$15,400 (2024)

InflationHow much prices rose over the year

4% (2024)

Unemployment

11.5% (2024)

Spent on foodShare of an average household’s spending

37.2% (2023)

Health and daily life

Life expectancy

77.9 years (2024)

Doctors

1.66 per 1,000 people (2022)

Hospital beds

1.6 per 1,000 people (2017)

Safe drinking water

94.7% of people (2022)

Electricity

100% of people (2022)

Internet users

77% of people (2023)

Land and climate

Climate

Arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer

SizeSlightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

2,381,741 sq km

Natural hazards

Mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season; droughts

National holiday

Independence Day, 5 July (1962); Revolution Day, 1 November (1954)