Algeria's population in January 1988 was 24.2 million, of whom 11.9 million were female and almost 12.3 were male. The figure compared with 12.1 million recorded in the 1966 census, 8.6 million on the eve of the War of freedom in 1954. During the first twenty years after freedom in 1962, the population doubled. The United States government estimate of Algeria's population in 1993 was 27.41 million, and projections were that there would be 33 million people in the nation by the year 2000.

Population growth resumed at the end of hostilities, and in 1966 the annual growth rate was around at 3.3%. consequently, the rate rose to 3.4% before subsiding to 3.2% in the late 1970s, 3.1 in the early 1980s, and 2.8% for the 1990s.

Some 80% of the nation's population consider themselves to be ethnically Arab, though most Algerians are descendents of ancient Berber groups who mixed with various invading peoples from the Arab Middle East, southern Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa.The population consists almost entirely of Berbers, Arabs, and people of mixed Arab and Berber ancestry. Until 1962 about 1 million European settlers, mainly French, and an indigenous population of 150,000 Jews lived in Algeria; 90% of this group, emigrated after Algeria became independent in 1962.