Algeria is the largest country in Africa and 35th in world population. The country has a population of nearly 38 million after having less than 5 million at the start of the 20th century.
About 90% of Algerians live in the northern, coastal area; the inhabitants of the Sahara desert are mainly concentrated in oases, although some 1.5 million remain nomadic or partly nomadic. 28.1% of Algerians are under the age of 15.
The population is fairly split between men and women, with women making up only about one percent more than men.
Women fare a lot better here than in most places. Women make up 70% of the country's lawyers and 60% of its judges.
They also dominate the medical field and make up 60% of university students. Women are also increasingly contributing more to household income than men.
