Algeria

Algeria has known many empires and dynasties, including the ancient Numidians (3rd century B.C.), Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, over a dozen different Arab and Amazigh dynasties, Spaniards, and Ottoman Turks. Under the Turks, the Barbary pirates operated from North Africa and preyed on shipping, from about 1500 until the French captured Algiers in 1830. The French southward conquest of Algeria proceeded throughout the 19th century and was marked by many atrocities. A bloody eight-year struggle culminated in Algerian independence in 1962. Algeria's long-dominant political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), was established in 1954 as part of the struggle for independence and has since played a large role in politics, though it is falling out of favor with the youth and current President Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE. The Government of Algeria in 1988 instituted a multi-party system in response to public unrest, but the surprising first-round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the 1991 legislative election led the Algerian military to intervene and postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. An army crackdown on the FIS escalated into an FIS insurgency and intense violence from 1992-98 that resulted in over 100,000 deaths, many of which were attributed to extremist groups massacring villagers. The government gained the upper hand by the late 1990s, and FIS’s armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in 2000. FIS membership is now illegal. In 1999, Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA won the presidency with the backing of the military, in an election that was boycotted by several candidates protesting alleged fraud.  He won subsequent elections in 2004, 2009, and 2014. Widespread protests against his decision to seek a fifth term broke out in early 2019. BOUTEFLIKA resigned in April 2019, and in December 2019, Algerians elected former Prime Minister Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE as the country’s new president. A longtime FLN member, TEBBOUNE ran for president as an independent. In 2020, Algeria held a constitutional referendum on governmental reforms, which TEBBOUNE enacted in 2021. Subsequent reforms to the national electoral law introduced open-list voting to curb corruption. The new law also eliminated gender quotas in Parliament, and the 2021 legislative elections saw female representation plummet. The referendum, parliamentary elections, and local elections saw record-low voter turnout.

land

2,381,740 sq km

total

2,381,740 sq km

water

0 sq km

slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

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

998 km

highest point

Tahat 2,908 m

lowest point

Chott Melrhir -40 m

mean elevation

800 m

28 00 N, 3 00 E

largest country in Africa but 80% desert; canyons and caves in the southern Hoggar Mountains and in the barren Tassili n'Ajjer area in the southeast of the country contain numerous examples of prehistoric art -- rock paintings and carvings depicting human activities and wild and domestic animals (elephants, giraffes, cattle) -- that date to the African Humid Period, roughly 11,000 to 5,000 years ago, when the region was completely vegetated

12,605 sq km (2016)

border countries

Libya 989 km; Mali 1,359 km; Mauritania 460 km; Morocco 1,941 km; Niger 951 km; Tunisia 1,034 km

total

6,734 km

agricultural land

17.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 3.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 13.8% (2018 est.)

forest

0.8% (2018 est.)

other

81.8% (2018 est.)

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

Lullemeden-Irhazer Aquifer System, Murzuk-Djado Basin, North Western Sahara Aquifer, Taoudeni-Tanezrouft Basin

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)

Africa

contiguous zone

24 nm

exclusive fishing zone

32-52 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

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

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc

the vast majority of the populace is found in the extreme northern part of the country along the Mediterranean Coast as shown in this population distribution map

mostly high plateau and desert; Atlas Mountains in the far north and Hoggar Mountains in the south; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

0-14 years

30.8% (male 7,411,337/female 7,062,794)

15-64 years

62.3% (male 14,846,102/female 14,441,034)

65 years and over

6.9% (2024 est.) (male 1,597,382/female 1,663,824)

beer

0.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

0.59 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

20.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

women married by age 18

3.8% (2019 est.)

2.7% (2018/19)

53.6% (2018/19)

6.3% of GDP (2020)

56% (2023 est.)

4.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

For the first two thirds of the 20th century, Algeria's high fertility rate caused its population to grow rapidly. However, about a decade after independence from France in 1962, the total fertility rate fell dramatically from 7 children per woman in the 1970s to about 2.4 in 2000, slowing Algeria's population growth rate by the late 1980s. The lower fertility rate was mainly the result of women's rising age at first marriage (virtually all Algerian children being born in wedlock) and to a lesser extent the wider use of contraceptives. Later marriages and a preference for smaller families are attributed to increases in women's education and participation in the labor market; higher unemployment; and a shortage of housing forcing multiple generations to live together. The average woman's age at first marriage increased from about 19 in the mid-1950s to 24 in the mid-1970s to 30.5 in the late 1990s. Algeria's fertility rate experienced an unexpected upturn in the early 2000s, as the average woman's age at first marriage dropped slightly. The reversal in fertility could represent a temporary fluctuation in marriage age or, less likely, a decrease in the steady rate of contraceptive use. Thousands of Algerian peasants - mainly Berber men from the Kabylia region - faced with land dispossession and economic hardship under French rule migrated temporarily to France to work in manufacturing and mining during the first half of the 20th century. This movement accelerated during World War I, when Algerians filled in for French factory workers or served as soldiers. In the years following independence, low-skilled Algerian workers and Algerians who had supported the French (known as Harkis) emigrated en masse to France. Tighter French immigration rules and Algiers' decision to cease managing labor migration to France in the 1970s limited legal emigration largely to family reunification. Not until Algeria's civil war in the 1990s did the country again experience substantial outmigration. Many Algerians legally entered Tunisia without visas claiming to be tourists and then stayed as workers. Other Algerians headed to Europe seeking asylum, although France imposed restrictions. Sub-Saharan African migrants came to Algeria after its civil war to work in agriculture and mining. In the 2000s, a wave of educated Algerians went abroad seeking skilled jobs in a wider range of destinations, increasing their presence in North America and Spain. At the same time, legal foreign workers principally from China and Egypt came to work in Algeria's construction and oil sectors. Illegal migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Malians, Nigeriens, and Gambians, continue to come to Algeria in search of work or to use it as a stepping stone to Libya and Europe. Since 1975, Algeria also has been the main recipient of Sahrawi refugees from the ongoing conflict in Western Sahara (today part of Morocco). More than 100,000 Sahrawis are estimated to be living in five refugee camps in southwestern Algeria near Tindouf.

elderly dependency ratio

9.8

potential support ratio

10.2 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

58.5

youth dependency ratio

48.7

improved: rural

rural: 98.8% of population

improved: total

total: 99.4% of population

improved: urban

urban: 99.6% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 1.2% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.6% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0.4% of population

7% of GDP (2020 est.)

Arab-Amazigh 99%, European less than 1%

note

note: although almost all Algerians are Amazigh in origin and not Arab, only a minority identify themselves as primarily Amazigh, about 15% of the total population; these people live mostly in the mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers and in several other communities; the Amazigh are also Muslim but identify with their Amazigh rather than Arab cultural heritage; some Amazigh have long agitated, sometimes violently, for autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has officially recognized Amazigh languages and introduced them into public schools

1.43 (2024 est.)

1.9 beds/1,000 population (2015)

female

17.5 deaths/1,000 live births

male

19.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total

18.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Languages

Arabic (official), French (lingua franca), Tamazight (official) (dialects include Kabyle (Taqbaylit), Shawiya (Tacawit), Mzab, Tuareg (Tamahaq))

major-language sample(s)

كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

female

78.7 years

male

77.2 years

total population

77.9 years (2024 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

75.3% (2018)

male

87.4%

total population

81.4%

2.902 million ALGIERS (capital), 936,000 Oran (2022)

78 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

female

29.4 years

male

28.8 years

total

29.1 years (2024 est.)

adjective

Algerian

noun

Algerian(s)

-0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

27.4% (2016)

1.72 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

female

23,167,652 (2024 est.)

male

23,854,821

total

47,022,473

the vast majority of the populace is found in the extreme northern part of the country along the Mediterranean Coast as shown in this population distribution map

1.54% (2024 est.)

Muslim (official; predominantly Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Ahmadi Muslim, Shia Muslim, Ibadi Muslim) <1% (2012 est.)

improved: rural

rural: 91.3% of population

improved: total

total: 96.5% of population

improved: urban

urban: 98.3% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 8.7% of population

unimproved: total

total: 3.5% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 1.7% of population

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.96 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

female

0.7% (2020 est.)

male

41.3% (2020 est.)

total

21% (2020 est.)

2.94 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

1.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

75.3% of total population (2023)

58 provinces (wilayas, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger (Algiers), Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Beni Abbes, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Badji Mokhtar, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djanet, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Meghaier, El Meniaa, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, In Guezzam, In Salah, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Ouled Djellal, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanrasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Timimoun, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen, Touggourt

etymology

name derives from the Arabic "al-Jazair" meaning "the islands" and refers to the four islands formerly off the coast of the capital but joined to the mainland since 1525

geographic coordinates

36 45 N, 3 03 E

name

Algiers

time difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

the mother must be a citizen of Algeria

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

7 years

amendments

proposed by the president of the republic or through the president with the support of three fourths of the members of both houses of Parliament in joint session; passage requires approval by both houses, approval by referendum, and promulgation by the president; the president can forego a referendum if the Constitutional Council determines the proposed amendment does not conflict with basic constitutional principles; articles including the republican form of government, the integrity and unity of the country, and fundamental citizens’ liberties and rights cannot be amended; amended 2002, 2008, 2016; last in 2020

history

several previous; latest approved by referendum 1 November 2020

conventional long form

People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

conventional short form

Algeria

etymology

the country name derives from the capital city of Algiers

local long form

Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah

local short form

Al Jaza'ir

chief of mission

Ambassador Elizabeth Moore AUBIN (since 9 February 2022)

email address and website

algierspd@state.govhttps://dz.usembassy.gov/

embassy

05 Chemin Cheikh Bachir, Ibrahimi, El-Biar 16030, Alger

FAX

[213] (0) 770-08-2299

mailing address

6030 Algiers Place, Washington DC  20521-6030

telephone

[213] (0) 770-08-2000

chancery

2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Sabri BOUKADOUM (since 27 February 2024)

consulate(s) general

New York

email address and website

mail@algerianembassy.orghttps://www.algerianembassy.org/

FAX

[1] (202) 986-5906

telephone

[1] (202) 265-2800

cabinet

Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president

chief of state

President Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE (since 12 December 2019)

election results

2024: Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE (NLF) 94.7%, Abdelaali Hassani CHERIF (MSP) 3.2%, Youcef AOUCHICHE (FFS) 2.2%2019: (FLN) 58.1%, Abdelkader BENGRINA (El-Bina) 17.4%, Ali BENFLIS (Talaie El Hurriyet) 10.6%, Azzedine MIHOUBI (RND) 7.3%, Abdelaziz BELAID (Future Front) 6.7%

elections/appointments

president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 September 2024 (next to be held in 2029); prime minister nominated by the president after consultation with the majority party in Parliament

head of government

Prime Minister Nadir LARBAOUI (since 11 November 2023)

two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white; a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent centered over the two-color boundary; the colors represent Islam (green), purity and peace (white), and liberty (red); the crescent and star are also Islamic symbols, but the crescent is more closed than those of other Muslim countries because Algerians believe the long crescent horns bring happiness

presidential republic

5 July 1962 (from France)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BIS, CAEU, CD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

highest court(s)

Supreme Court or Le Cour Suprême, (consists of 150 judges organized into 8 chambers: Civil, Commercial and Maritime, Criminal, House of Offenses and Contraventions, House of Petitions, Land, Personal Status, and Social; Constitutional Council (consists of 12 members including the court chairman and deputy chairman); note - Algeria's judicial system does not include sharia courts

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Council of Magistracy, an administrative body presided over by the president of the republic, and includes the republic vice-president and several members; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Council members - 4 appointed by the president of the republic, 2 each by the 2 houses of Parliament, 2 by the Supreme Court, and 2 by the Council of State; Council president and members appointed for single 6-year terms with half the membership renewed every 3 years

subordinate courts

appellate or wilaya courts; first instance or daira tribunals

mixed legal system of French civil law and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials including several Supreme Court justices

description

bicameral Parliament consists of:Council of the Nation or Majlis al-Umma (174 seats, statutory; 170 currently; two-thirds of members indirectly elected by simple majority vote by an electoral college composed of local assemblies within each wilaya, and one-third of members appointed by the president; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years)National People's Assembly or al-Majlis al-Sha'abi al-Watani (407 seats, including 8 seats for Algerian diaspora; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open-list proportional representation vote using the Hare Quota method; members serve 5-year terms)

election results

Council of the Nation - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 54, RND 22, Future Front 7, National Construction Movement 5, FFS 4, other 6, independent 18, appointed 58; composition - men 163, women 7, percentage women 4.1%National People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 98, MSP 65, RND 58, (Future Front) 48, Movement of National Construction 39, other 15, independent 84; composition - men 375, women 32, percentage women 7.9%; note - total Parliament percentage women 6.8%

elections

Council of the Nation - last held on 5 February 2022 (next expected in 2025)National People's Assembly - snap election held on 12 June 2021 (next to be held on 12 June 2026)

lyrics/music

Mufdi ZAKARIAH/Mohamed FAWZI

name

"Kassaman" (We Pledge)

note

note: adopted 1962; ZAKARIAH wrote "Kassaman" as a poem while imprisoned in Algiers by French colonial forces

selected World Heritage Site locales

Beni Hammad Fort (c); Djémila (c); Casbah of Algiers (c); M'zab Valley (c); Tassili n'Ajjer (m); Timgad (c); Tipasa (c)

total World Heritage Sites

7 (6 cultural, 1 mixed)

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

five-pointed star between the extended horns of a crescent moon, fennec fox; national colors: green, white, red

Algerian National Front or FNAAlgerian Popular Movement or MPAAlgeria's Hope Rally or TAJDignity or El KaramaEl-InfitahEl Mostakbal (Future Front)Ennour El Djazairi Party (Algerian Radiance Party) or PEDEquity and Proclamation Party or PEPIslamic Renaissance Movement or Ennahda MovementJustice and Development Front or FJDMovement for National Reform or El IslahMovement of Society for Peace or MSPNational Construction Movement or El-Bina (Harakat El-Binaa El-Watani)National Democratic Rally (Rassemblement National Democratique) or RNDNational Front for Social Justice or FNJSNational Liberation Front or FLNNational Militancy Front or FMNNational Party for Solidarity and Development or PNSDNational Republican Alliance or ANRNew Dawn Party (El-Fajr El-Jadid)New Generation (Jil Jadid)Oath of 1954 or Ahd 54Party of Justice and Liberty or PLJRally for Culture and Democracy or RCDSocialist Forces Front or FFSUnion for Change and Progress or UCPUnion of Democratic and Social Forces or UFDSVanguard of Liberties (Talaie El Hurriyet)Workers Party or PTYouth Party or PJ

note

note: a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted in March 1997

18 years of age; universal

potatoes, wheat, milk, watermelons, onions, tomatoes, barley, vegetables, dates, oranges (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

on alcohol and tobacco

1% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

on food

37.1% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

expenditures

$64.728 billion (2019 est.)

revenues

$55.185 billion (2019 est.)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Current account balance 2021

-$4.51 billion (2021 est.)

Current account balance 2022

$19.448 billion (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2023

$5.424 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external 2022

$671.248 million (2022 est.)

note

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

suffering oil and gas economy; lack of sector and market diversification; political instability chilling domestic consumption; poor credit access and declines in business confidence; COVID-19 austerity policies; delayed promised socio-economic reforms

Currency

Algerian dinars (DZD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

119.354 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

126.777 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

135.064 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

141.995 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

135.843 (2023 est.)

Exports 2021

$41.851 billion (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$69.242 billion (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$58.816 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

natural gas, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, fertilizers, ammonia (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Italy 29%, Spain 12%, France 12%, US 5%, South Korea 5% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

25.2% (2023 est.)

government consumption

16.9% (2023 est.)

household consumption

41.2% (2023 est.)

imports of goods and services

-21% (2023 est.)

investment in fixed capital

33.2% (2023 est.)

investment in inventories

4.6% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture

13.2% (2023 est.)

industry

38% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

45.1% (2023 est.)

$239.899 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Imports 2021

$44.297 billion (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$46.63 billion (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$51.516 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

wheat, milk, plastics, corn, iron ore (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

China 18%, France 14%, Italy 7%, Turkey 6%, Brazil 6% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

3.74% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

7.23% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

9.27% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

9.32% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

13.425 million (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

note

note: data cover central government debt as well as debt issued by subnational entities and intra-governmental debt

Public debt 2017

27.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$649.015 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$672.379 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$699.947 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

3.8% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

3.6% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

4.1% (2023 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$14,700 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$15,000 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$15,300 (2023 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2021

0.96% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

0.74% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

0.74% of GDP (2023 est.)

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$56.211 billion (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$71.852 billion (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$81.217 billion (2023 est.)

32.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

13.61% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

12.44% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

11.81% (2023 est.)

female

46% (2023 est.)

male

27.4% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

30.8% (2023 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke

501,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from consumed natural gas

95.439 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

51.989 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

147.93 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

consumption

167,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports

168,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves

223 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption

77.786 billion kWh (2022 est.)

exports

1.529 billion kWh (2022 est.)

imports

391.148 million kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

21.706 million kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

9.263 billion kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - rural areas

99.3%

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

100%

fossil fuels

99.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

solar

0.7% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

58.473 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

consumption

47.963 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

exports

49.583 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

production

100.726 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves

4.504 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

12.2 billion barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

428,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

total petroleum production

1.443 million bbl/day (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

9 (2020 est.)

total

3,790,459 (2020 est.)

state-run Radio-Television Algerienne operates the broadcast media and carries programming in Arabic, Berber dialects, and French; use of satellite dishes is widespread, providing easy access to European and Arab satellite stations; state-run radio operates several national networks and roughly 40 regional radio stations

.dz

percent of population

71% (2021 est.)

total

31.24 million (2021 est.)

domestic

a limited network of fixed-lines with a teledensity of slightly less than 12 telephones per 100 persons has been offset by the rapid increase in mobile-cellular subscribership; mobile-cellular teledensity was approximately 106 telephones per 100 persons in 2020 (2021)

general assessment

Algeria has a steadily developing telecom infrastructure with growth encouraged by supportive regulatory measures and by government policies aimed at delivering serviceable internet connections across the country; mobile broadband is largely based on 3G and LTE, and the data rates are also low in global terms; LTE is available in all provinces, investment is required from the mobile network operators (MNOs) to improve the quality of service; the state has previously been hesitant to commit to 5G, instead encouraging the MNOs to undertake upgrades to LTE infrastructure before investing in commercial 5G services; in March 2022, the state is in the process of freeing up the requisite spectrum to enable the MNOs to launch 5G services sometime this year; fixed internet speeds remain slow (2022)

international

country code - 213; ALPAL-2 is a submarine telecommunications cable system in the Mediterranean Sea linking Algeria and the Spanish Balearic island of Majorca; ORVAL is a submarine cable to Spain; landing points for the TE North/TGN-Eurasia/SEACOM/SeaMeWe-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; MED cable connecting Algeria with France; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; Algeria part of the 4,500 Km terrestrial Trans Sahara Backbone network which connects to other fiber networks in the region; Alcomstat-1 satellite offering  telemedicine network (2020)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

12 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

5.576 million (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

109 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

49.019 million (2022 est.)

85 (2024)

7T

9 (2024)

by type

bulk carrier 1, container ship 4, general cargo 11, oil tanker 14, other 89

total

119 (2022)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

28.28 million (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

6,442,442 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

87

number of registered air carriers

3 (2020)

2,600 km condensate, 16,415 km gas, 3,447 km liquid petroleum gas, 7,036 km oil, 144 km refined products (2013)

key ports

Alger, Annaba, Arzew, Arzew El Djedid, Bejaia, Mers El Kebir, Oran, Port Methanier, Skikda

large

2

medium

1

ports with oil terminals

3

small

6

total ports

17 (2024)

very small

8

total

4,020 km (2019)

total

112,696 km (2020)

the ANP is responsible for external defense but also has some internal security responsibilities; key areas of concern include border and maritime security, terrorism, regional instability, and tensions with Morocco; Algeria supports the pro-independence Polisario Front in Western Sahara and accuses Morocco of supporting the Algerian separatist Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK); border security and counterterrorism have received additional focus since the Arab Spring events of 2011 and the rise of terrorist threats emanating from Libya and the Sahel; the Army and Ministry of Defense (MND) paramilitary forces of the Gendarmerie and the border guards have beefed up their presence along the frontiers with Tunisia, Libya, Niger, and Mali to interdict and deter cross-border attacks by Islamist militant groups; the ANP and MND paramilitary forces have also increased counterterrorism cooperation with some neighboring countries, particularly Tunisia, including joint operationsthe ANP has also played a large role in the country’s politics since independence in 1962, including coups in 1965 and 1991; it was a key backer of BOUTEFLIKA’s election in 1999 and remained a center of power during his 20-year rule; the military was instrumental in BOUTEFLIKA’s resignation in 2019, when it withdrew support and called for him to be removed from office (2024)

Algerian People's National Army (ANP): Land Forces, Naval Forces (includes Coast Guard), Air Forces, Territorial Air Defense Forces, Republican Guard (under ANP but responsible to the President), National GendarmerieMinistry of Interior: General Directorate of National Security (national police) (2024)

note

note: the National Gendarmerie performs police functions outside urban areas under the auspices of the Ministry of National Defense; it is comprised of territorial, intervention/mobile, border guard, railway, riot control, and air support units; General Directorate of National Security share responsibility for maintaining law and order

approximately 225,000 armed forces personnel (100,000 Army; 15,000 Air Force/Air Defense; 10,000 Navy; 1,000 Republican Guard; 100,000 Gendarmerie) (2024)

the Algerian military has traditionally been armed mostly with Russian and Soviet-era weapons systems and equipment; over the past decade, it has made large investments in acquiring more modern armored vehicles, air defense systems, fighter aircraft, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and warships, largely from Russia, its traditional supplier, but also China and Western European suppliers such as Germany (2024)

Military Expenditures 2019

6% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military Expenditures 2020

6.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

5.6% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

4.8% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

9% of GDP (2023 est.)

18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service for men and women; 19-30 years of age for mandatory national service for men (all Algerian men must register at age 17); service obligation reduced from 18 to 12 months in 2014 (2024)

note

note: conscripts comprise an estimated 70% of the military

NA

refugees (country of origin)

more than 100,000 (Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf); 7,345 (Syria) (mid-year 2022)

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch list — Algeria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so, therefore Algeria was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to:  https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/algeria/

Algerian Space Agency (Agence Spatiale Algérienne, ASAL; established 2002) (2024)

none; note - in 1947, Algeria began hosting a French military rocket test site, which was the continent of Africa's first rocket launch site; it was called the Centre Interarmées d’Essais d’Engins Spéciaux (CIEES or Interarmy Special Vehicles Test Center) and was in service until 1967

has a national space policy and a national space research program with stated goals of supporting internal development, managing resource usage, mastering space technology, and reinforcing national sovereignty; builds and operates communications and remote sensing (RS) satellites; researching and developing a range of space-related capabilities, including satellites and satellite payloads, communications, RS, instrumentation, satellite image processing, and geo-spatial information; has bilateral relationships with a variety of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of Argentina, China, France, Germany, India, Russia, Ukraine, and the UK; also a member of the Arab Space Coordination Group, established by the UAE in 2019 (2024)

note

note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in the Space Programs reference guide

al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM); Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) – Algeria; al-Mulathamun Battalion (al-Mourabitoun)

note

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

carbon dioxide emissions

150.01 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

49.94 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

22.68 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

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

air pollution in major cities; soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Nuclear Test Ban

agricultural land

17.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 3.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 13.8% (2018 est.)

forest

0.8% (2018 est.)

other

81.8% (2018 est.)

Lullemeden-Irhazer Aquifer System, Murzuk-Djado Basin, North Western Sahara Aquifer, Taoudeni-Tanezrouft Basin

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 sq km)

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

0.1% of GDP (2018 est.)

11.67 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural

6.67 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

190 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

3.6 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

rate of urbanization

1.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

75.3% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

12,378,740 tons (2016 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

990,299 tons (2013 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

8% (2013 est.)