According to the United States Department of Commerce's Bureau of the Census, Angola's 1988 population was about 8.2 million. The United States Department of State gave a 1986 figure of 8.5 million, while the United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Africa around the 1986 population at 8.9 million. The Angolan government around the 1988 population at almost 9.5 million.

In spite of warfare, poor health care, and the large number of Angolans in exile, the population was growing steadily in the late 1980s. Like population estimates, growth rate calculations varied considerably. According to a 1987 estimate by the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the growth rate was 3.6 %. The UN 1986 estimate of 2.7 % was a good deal lower, while the government, whose demographic estimates typically exceeded those of Western governments and international organizations, announced a 1986 growth rate of almost 4.9 %.

According to UN figures, Angola had a very young population. In 1986 the UN around that about 47 % of the population was under age fifteen. At the other end of the age scale, only 5 % of the population was sixty years of age or older. The government around the median age at 17.5 years. Life expectancy in 1987, according to United States government sources, was 42 for males and 44 for females.