List of ethnic groups of Africa
Name Family Language Region Country Population ( million )
Alur Nilo-Saharan , Nilotic , Luo Alur East/Central Uganda , Democratic Republic of the Congo
Anuak Nilo-Saharan , Nilotic , Luo Anuak Southeast/Horn South Sudan , Ethiopia
Acholi Nilo-Saharan , Nilotic , Luo Acholi East Uganda , South Sudan
Banyoro Niger-Congo , Bantu Nyoro ( Runyakitara ) East Uganda 1.4
Basoga Niger-Congo , Bantu Soga East Uganda 2.9
Chagga Niger-Congo , Bantu Bantu Kilimanjaro Tanzania 8
Dinka Nilo-Saharan , Eastern Sudanic Dinka Nile Valley South Sudan 5
Ganda Niger-Congo , Bantu Ganda East Uganda 5.5
Langi Nilo-Saharan , Nilotic , Luo Lango East Uganda 2.2
Hutu Niger-Congo , Bantu Rwanda-Rundi East , Central Rwanda , Burundi , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Uganda 16
Kamba Niger-Congo , Bantu Kamba East Kenya
Kalenjin Nilo-Saharan , Nilotic , Highland Kalenjin East Kenya , Uganda 3
Kikuyu Niger-Congo , Bantu Gikuyu East Kenya 5.3
Kwama Nilo-Saharan Kwama East/Horn South Sudan , Ethiopia
Lugbara people Nilo-Saharan , Central Sudanic Lugbara East Uganda , Democratic Republic of the Congo 11
Luo Nilo-Saharan , Luo , River-Lake Luo East Kenya , Uganda
Luhya Niger-Congo , Bantu Luhya East Kenya , Uganda 5.4
Maasai Nilo-Saharan , Nilotic , Plains Maasai East Kenya , Tanzania 0.9
Makonde Niger-Congo , Bantu Makonde Southeast Tanzania , Mozambique 1.3
Ameru Niger-Congo , Bantu Meru East Kenya
Lists -- Ethnic groups by region
 North east Africa Southeast Africa
The ethnic groups of Africa number in the thousands, with each population generally having its own language (or dialect of a language) and culture. The ethnolinguistic groups include various Afroasiatic, Khoisan, Niger-Congo and Nilo-Saharan populations. The official population count of the various ethnic groups in Africa is highly uncertain, both due to limited infrastructure to perform censuses and due to the rapid population growth. There have also been accusations of deliberate misreporting in order to give selected ethnicities numerical superiority (as in the case of Nigeria's Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo people). A 2009 genetic clustering study, which genotyped 1327 polymorphic markers in various African populations, identified six ancestral clusters. The clustering corresponded closely with ethnicity, culture and language. A 2018 whole genome sequencing study of the world's populations observed similar clusters among the populations in Africa. At K=9, distinct ancestral components defined the Afrosiatic-speaking populations inhabiting North Africa and Northeast Africa; the Nilo-Saharan-speaking populations in Northeast Africa and East Africa; the Ari populations in Northeast Africa; the Niger-Congo-speaking populations in West-Central Africa, West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa; the Pygmy populations in Central Africa; and the Khoisan populations in Southern Africa.