People

Population

As of January 1, 2005, Algeria’s population was estimated to total 32.6 million. The population was growing at an annual rate of 1.2 percent. More than 90 percent of the country’s population is concentrated along the Mediterranean coast, which constitutes only 12 percent of the country’s land area. Therefore, the overall population density of 13.6 people per square kilometer is deceptive. About 59 percent of Algeria’s population is urban. Drought conditions have led to an internal migration of farmers and herdsmen to the cities to seek other employment. High unemployment encourages emigration. In 2005 Algeria’s net migration rate was estimated at –0.37 migrants per 1,000 people. Algeria also hosts more than 100,000 Sahrawi refugees from Western Sahara, who began taking refuge in Algeria in the 1970s following Spain’s withdrawal and the eruption of a struggle for control of the territory. Most live in desert areas of western Algeria and depend on the United Nations and other relief agencies for their survival.

Demography

In 2005 population distribution by age was as follows: 0–14 years: 29 percent; 15–39 years: 47 percent; 40–64 years: 19 percent; and 65 years and older: 5 percent. As this distribution indicates, Algeria has a very young population, a fact that poses a challenge for the labor market and the education system. According to the World Health Organization, in 2003 life expectancy was 70 years (69 years for men and 72 years for women). Based on this information, Algeria ranked 116 out of 224 countries in life expectancy. According to the Algerian Statistical Office, in 2004 the birthrate was nearly 20.7 per 1,000 people, and the death rate was nearly 4.4 per 1,000 people. The infant mortality rate was 30.4 per 1,000 live births according to official statistics but 38 per 1,000 live births according to some independent observers. The fertility rate was 1.9 children born per woman. Some 1.05 males were born for every female.

Ethnic Group(s)

An estimated 99 percent of the population is Arab-Berber, combining Islamic faith with North African Berber cultural identification. Europeans constitute the remaining 1 percent. Unrest persists in the Kabylie region in the northeast in response to restrictions on Berber ethnic, cultural, and linguistic rights.

Languages

The official language is Arabic. French is the language of business, and Berber (Tamazight) is also spoken. In October 2001, the government recognized Berber as a national language but not as an official language. As a result, the language issue remains contentious.

Religion

Sunni Islam is the state religion, and Muslims constitute 99 percent of the population. The remaining 1 percent of the population is Christian, mostly Roman Catholic but also Methodist and Evangelical Christian. Algeria’s Jewish population is barely a trace of its former presence, reportedly numbering only about 60 persons. The government imposes restrictions on religious freedom (not all of which are strictly enforced in practice), including prohibition of proselytizing by non-Muslims, controls on imported religious materials (both Muslim and non-Muslim), and limits on public assembly by non-Muslims without a license. The government provides financial support for mosques, imams, and the study of Islam in public schools. As part of its regulation of the practice of Islam, the government prohibits the dissemination of Muslim literature promoting violence and monitors teaching in religious schools and preaching by imams in order to prevent extremism.

Education and Literacy

In 2003 Algeria’s literacy rate was 70 percent, subpar by international standards. The breakdown by gender was 79 percent for males and 61 percent for females. A lag persists for women despite progress since independence in 1962. Education consumes one-quarter of the national budget. Algeria’s education system faces the challenge of accommodating a sharp rise in the number of eligible children and young adults. Education is free and officially compulsory for Algerians aged 6–15, but actual enrollment falls far short of 100 percent. Enrollment drops off sharply from primary to secondary school. In fact, only about half the eligible population is enrolled in secondary school, which consists of two three-year cycles beginning at age 12. In addition, Algeria has 10 universities, seven university centers (centres universitaires), and several technical colleges. The primary language of school instruction is Arabic, but Berber-language instruction has been permitted since 2003, in part to ease reliance on foreign teachers but also in response to complaints about Arabization.

Health

According to the latest available information, Algeria has inadequate numbers of physicians (one per 1,000 people) and hospital beds (2.1 per 1,000 people), as well as poor access to water (87 percent of the population) and sanitation (92 percent of the population). Given Algeria’s young population, policy favors preventive health care and clinics over hospitals. In keeping with this policy, the government maintains an immunization program. However, poor sanitation and unclean water still cause tuberculosis, hepatitis, measles, typhoid fever, cholera, and dysentery. In 2003 about 0.10 percent of the population aged 15–49 was living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). The poor generally receive health care free of charge, but the wealthy pay for care according to a sliding scale. Access to health care is enhanced by the requirement that doctors and dentists work in public health for at least five years. However, doctors are more easily found in the cities of the north than in the southern Sahara region.

Welfare

In 2003 Algeria ranked 103 out of 177 countries in the United Nations’ human development index, a measure of overall well-being. Approximately half the Algerian population lives below the poverty line. About 45 percent of wealth is concentrated in the hands of the top 5 percent of the population, a phenomenon that is partly the result of collusion among businessmen, public officials, and military officers.

Source: Library of Congress – Federal Research Division Country Profile