Algeria has known many empires and dynasties starting with the ancient Numidians (3rd century B.C.), Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, over a dozen different Arab and Berber dynasties, Spaniards, and Ottoman Turks. It was under the latter that the Barbary pirates operated from North Africa and preyed on shipping beginning in roughly 1500, peaking in the early to mid-17th century, until finally subdued by the French capture of Algiers in 1830. The French southward conquest of the entirety of Algeria proceeded throughout the 19th century and was marked by many atrocities. The country was heavily colonized by the French in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A bloody eight-year struggle culminated in Algerian independence in 1962.
Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), was established in 1954 as part of the struggle for independence and has since largely dominated politics. 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 December 1991 legislative elections led the Algerian army 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. The army began a crackdown on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters to begin attacking government targets. Fighting escalated into an insurgency, which saw intense violence from 1992-98, resulting in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s, and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000.
Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA, with the backing of the military, won the presidency in 1999 in an election that was boycotted by several candidates protesting alleged fraud, and won subsequent elections in 2004, 2009, and 2014. The government in 2011 introduced some political reforms in response to the Arab Spring, including lifting the 19-year-old state of emergency restrictions and increasing women's quotas for elected assemblies, while also increasing subsidies to the populace. Since 2014, Algeria’s reliance on hydrocarbon revenues to fund the government and finance the large subsidies for the population has fallen under stress because of declining oil prices. Protests broke out across the country in late February 2019 against President BOUTEFLIKA’s decision to seek a fifth term. BOUTEFLIKA resigned on 2 April 2019, and the speaker of the upper house of parliament, Abdelkader BENSALAH, became interim head of state on 9 April. BENSALAH remained in office beyond the 90-day constitutional limit until Algerians elected former Prime Minister Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE as the country's new president in December 2019.
" } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "28 00 N, 3 00 E" }, "Map references": { "text": "Africa" }, "Area": { "total": { "text": "2,381,740 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "2,381,740 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "0 sq km" } }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "6,734 km" }, "border countries": { "text": "Libya 989 km; Mali 1,359 km; Mauritania 460 km; Morocco 1,941 km; Niger 951 km; Tunisia 1,034 km" } }, "Coastline": { "text": "998 km" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "contiguous zone": { "text": "24 nm" }, "exclusive fishing zone": { "text": "32-52 nm" } }, "Climate": { "text": "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" }, "Terrain": { "text": "mostly high plateau and desert; Atlas Mountains in the far north and Hoggar Mountains in the south; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain" }, "Elevation": { "highest point": { "text": "Tahat 2,908 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "Chott Melrhir -40 m" }, "mean elevation": { "text": "800 m" } }, "Natural resources": { "text": "petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "17.4% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 3.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 13.8% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "0.8% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "81.8% (2018 est.)" } }, "Irrigated land": { "text": "13,600 sq km (2014)" }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)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 1000,000 Sahrawis are estimated to be living in five refugee camps in southwestern Algeria near Tindouf.
" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "29.58% (male 6,509,490/female 6,201,450)" }, "15-24 years": { "text": "13.93% (male 3,063,972/female 2,922,368)" }, "25-54 years": { "text": "42.91% (male 9,345,997/female 9,091,558)" }, "55-64 years": { "text": "7.41% (male 1,599,369/female 1,585,233)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "6.17% (male 1,252,084/female 1,401,357) (2020 est.)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "60.1" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "49.3" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "10.8" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "9.3 (2020 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "28.9 years" }, "male": { "text": "28.6 years" }, "female": { "text": "29.3 years (2020 est.)" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "1.41% (2021 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "18.52 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "4.32 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "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" }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "74.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "2.854 million ALGIERS (capital), 922,000 Oran (2022)" }, "Sex ratio": { "at birth": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "15-24 years": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "25-54 years": { "text": "1.03 male(s)/female" }, "55-64 years": { "text": "1.01 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "0.89 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "1.03 male(s)/female (2020 est.)" } }, "Maternal mortality ratio": { "text": "112 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "20.23 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "male": { "text": "22.36 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "17.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "77.79 years" }, "male": { "text": "76.32 years" }, "female": { "text": "79.33 years (2021 est.)" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "2.55 children born/woman (2021 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "57.1% (2012/13)" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 99.6% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 98.8% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 99.4% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 0.4% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 1.2% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 0.6% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Current Health Expenditure": { "text": "6.2% (2019)" }, "Physicians density": { "text": "1.72 physicians/1,000 population (2018)" }, "Hospital bed density": { "text": "1.9 beds/1,000 population (2015)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 98.3% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 91.3% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 96.5% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 1.7% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 8.7% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 3.5% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "<.1% (2020 est.)" }, "HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS": { "text": "18,000 (2020 est.)" }, "HIV/AIDS - deaths": { "text": "<200 (2020 est.)" }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "27.4% (2016)" }, "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": { "text": "2.7% (2018/19)" }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "6.1% of GDP (2019)" }, "Literacy": { "definition": { "text": "age 15 and over can read and write" }, "total population": { "text": "81.4%" }, "male": { "text": "87.4%" }, "female": { "text": "75.3% (2018)" } }, "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": { "total": { "text": "14 years" }, "male": { "text": "14 years" }, "female": { "text": "15 years (2011)" } }, "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": { "total": { "text": "39.3%" }, "male": { "text": "33.1%" }, "female": { "text": "82% (2017 est.)" } } }, "Environment": { "Environment - current issues": { "text": "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" }, "Environment - international agreements": { "party to": { "text": "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": { "text": "Nuclear Test Ban" } }, "Air pollutants": { "particulate matter emissions": { "text": "35.17 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)" }, "carbon dioxide emissions": { "text": "150.01 megatons (2016 est.)" }, "methane emissions": { "text": "49.94 megatons (2020 est.)" } }, "Climate": { "text": "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" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "17.4% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 3.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 13.8% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "0.8% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "81.8% (2018 est.)" } }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "74.8% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "1.99% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Revenue from forest resources": { "forest revenues": { "text": "0.1% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Revenue from coal": { "coal revenues": { "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "12,378,740 tons (2016 est.)" }, "municipal solid waste recycled annually": { "text": "990,299 tons (2013 est.)" }, "percent of municipal solid waste recycled": { "text": "8% (2013 est.)" } }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km)Algeria's economy remains dominated by the state, a legacy of the country's socialist post-independence development model. In recent years the Algerian Government has halted the privatization of state-owned industries and imposed restrictions on imports and foreign involvement in its economy, pursuing an explicit import substitution policy.
Hydrocarbons have long been the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 30% of GDP, 60% of budget revenues, and nearly 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the 10th-largest reserves of natural gas in the world - including the 3rd-largest reserves of shale gas - and is the 6th-largest gas exporter. It ranks 16th in proven oil reserves. Hydrocarbon exports enabled Algeria to maintain macroeconomic stability, amass large foreign currency reserves, and maintain low external debt while global oil prices were high. With lower oil prices since 2014, Algeria’s foreign exchange reserves have declined by more than half and its oil stabilization fund has decreased from about $20 billion at the end of 2013 to about $7 billion in 2017, which is the statutory minimum.
Declining oil prices have also reduced the government’s ability to use state-driven growth to distribute rents and fund generous public subsidies, and the government has been under pressure to reduce spending. Over the past three years, the government has enacted incremental increases in some taxes, resulting in modest increases in prices for gasoline, cigarettes, alcohol, and certain imported goods, but it has refrained from reducing subsidies, particularly for education, healthcare, and housing programs.
Algiers has increased protectionist measures since 2015 to limit its import bill and encourage domestic production of non-oil and gas industries. Since 2015, the government has imposed additional restrictions on access to foreign exchange for imports, and import quotas for specific products, such as cars. In January 2018 the government imposed an indefinite suspension on the importation of roughly 850 products, subject to periodic review.
President BOUTEFLIKA announced in fall 2017 that Algeria intends to develop its non-conventional energy resources. Algeria has struggled to develop non-hydrocarbon industries because of heavy regulation and an emphasis on state-driven growth. Algeria has not increased non-hydrocarbon exports, and hydrocarbon exports have declined because of field depletion and increased domestic demand.
" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": { "text": "$468.4 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { "text": "$495.56 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018": { "text": "$491.63 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { "Real GDP growth rate 2017": { "text": "1.4% (2017 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2016": { "text": "3.2% (2016 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2015": { "text": "3.7% (2015 est.)" } }, "Real GDP per capita": { "Real GDP per capita 2020": { "text": "$10,700 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2019": { "text": "$11,500 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2018": { "text": "$11,600 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { "text": "$169.912 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": { "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": { "text": "1.9% (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018": { "text": "4.2% (2018 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": { "text": "5.6% (2017 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": { "agriculture": { "text": "13.3% (2017 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "39.3% (2017 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "47.4% (2017 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by end use": { "household consumption": { "text": "42.7% (2017 est.)" }, "government consumption": { "text": "20.2% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in fixed capital": { "text": "38.1% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in inventories": { "text": "11.2% (2017 est.)" }, "exports of goods and services": { "text": "23.6% (2017 est.)" }, "imports of goods and services": { "text": "-35.8% (2017 est.)" } }, "Agricultural products": { "text": "potatoes, wheat, milk, watermelons, barley, onions, tomatoes, oranges, dates, vegetables" }, "Industries": { "text": "petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing" }, "Industrial production growth rate": { "text": "0.6% (2017 est.)" }, "Labor force": { "text": "10.859 million (2017 est.)" }, "Labor force - by occupation": { "agriculture": { "text": "10.8%" }, "industry": { "text": "30.9%" }, "services": { "text": "58.4% (2011 est.)" } }, "Unemployment rate": { "Unemployment rate 2017": { "text": "11.7% (2017 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2016": { "text": "10.5% (2016 est.)" } }, "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": { "total": { "text": "39.3%" }, "male": { "text": "33.1%" }, "female": { "text": "82% (2017 est.)" } }, "Population below poverty line": { "text": "5.5% (2011 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": { "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2011": { "text": "27.6 (2011 est.)" } }, "Household income or consumption by percentage share": { "lowest 10%": { "text": "2.8%" }, "highest 10%": { "text": "26.8% (1995)" } }, "Budget": { "revenues": { "text": "54.15 billion (2017 est.)" }, "expenditures": { "text": "70.2 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": { "text": "-9.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt": { "Public debt 2017": { "text": "27.5% of GDP (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt 2016": { "text": "20.4% of GDP (2016 est.)" }, "note": "note: data cover central government debt as well as debt issued by subnational entities and intra-governmental debt" }, "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "32.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Fiscal year": { "text": "calendar year" }, "Current account balance": { "Current account balance 2017": { "text": "-$22.1 billion (2017 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2016": { "text": "-$26.47 billion (2016 est.)" } }, "Exports": { "Exports 2019": { "text": "$38.32 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Exports 2018": { "text": "$44.39 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports - partners": { "text": "Italy 13%, France 13%, Spain 12%, United States 7%, United Kingdom 7%, India 5%, South Korea 5% (2019)" }, "Exports - commodities": { "text": "crude petroleum, natural gas, refined petroleum, fertilizers, ammonia (2019)" }, "Imports": { "Imports 2019": { "text": "$54.26 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Imports 2018": { "text": "$60.05 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Imports - partners": { "text": "China 18%, France 14%, Italy 8%, Spain 8%, Germany 5%, Turkey 5% (2019)" }, "Imports - commodities": { "text": "refined petroleum, wheat, packaged medical supplies, milk, vehicle parts (2019)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": { "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017": { "text": "$97.89 billion (31 December 2017 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016": { "text": "$114.7 billion (31 December 2016 est.)" } }, "Debt - external": { "Debt - external 2019": { "text": "$5.574 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Debt - external 2018": { "text": "$5.666 billion (2018 est.)" } }, "Exchange rates": { "currency": { "text": "Algerian dinars (DZD) per US dollar -" }, "Exchange rates 2020": { "text": "131.085 (2020 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2019": { "text": "119.775 (2019 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2018": { "text": "118.4617 (2018 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2014": { "text": "100.691 (2014 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2013": { "text": "80.579 (2013 est.)" } } }, "Energy": { "Electricity access": { "electrification - total population": { "text": "99.4% (2019)" }, "electrification - urban areas": { "text": "99.6% (2019)" }, "electrification - rural areas": { "text": "97% (2019)" } }, "Electricity - production": { "text": "66.89 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - consumption": { "text": "55.96 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - exports": { "text": "641 million kWh (2015 est.)" }, "Electricity - imports": { "text": "257 million kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - installed generating capacity": { "text": "19.27 million kW (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from fossil fuels": { "text": "96% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from nuclear fuels": { "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from hydroelectric plants": { "text": "1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from other renewable sources": { "text": "2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - production": { "text": "1.259 million bbl/day (2018 est.)" }, "Crude oil - exports": { "text": "756,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Crude oil - imports": { "text": "5,340 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Crude oil - proved reserves": { "text": "12.2 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - production": { "text": "627,900 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - consumption": { "text": "405,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - exports": { "text": "578,800 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - imports": { "text": "82,930 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Natural gas - production": { "text": "93.5 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - consumption": { "text": "41.28 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - exports": { "text": "53.88 billion cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - imports": { "text": "0 cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - proved reserves": { "text": "4.504 trillion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)" } }, "Communications": { "Telephones - fixed lines": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "4,784,306 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "10.91 (2020 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "45,555,673 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "103.9 (2020 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { "general assessment": { "text": "Algeria has a steadily developing telecom infrastructure through sound regulatory measures and government policies aimed at providing Internet connections across the country, including underserved areas; mobile penetration and LTE services are growing steadily; in common with other markets in the region, mobile connections account for the vast majority of Internet accesses; well served by satellite and submarine cable connections; importer of broadcasting equipment from China (2021)" }, "domestic": { "text": "a limited network of fixed-lines with a teledensity of slightly less than 11 telephones per 100 persons has been offset by the rapid increase in mobile-cellular subscribership; mobile-cellular teledensity was approximately 104 telephones per 100 persons in 2020 (2020)" }, "international": { "text": "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)" }, "note": "note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments" }, "Broadcast media": { "text": "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" }, "Internet country code": { "text": ".dz" }, "Internet users": { "total": { "text": "26.35 million (2021 est.)" }, "percent of population": { "text": "36% (2019 est.)" } }, "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": { "total": { "text": "3,790,459 (2020)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "8.64 (2020 est.)" } } }, "Transportation": { "National air transport system": { "number of registered air carriers": { "text": "3 (2020)" }, "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": { "text": "87" }, "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "6,442,442 (2018)" }, "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "28.28 million mt-km (2018)" } }, "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": { "text": "7T" }, "Airports": { "total": { "text": "149 (2020)" } }, "Airports - with paved runways": { "total": { "text": "67" }, "over 3,047 m": { "text": "14" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "27" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "18" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "6" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "2 (2020)" } }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { "total": { "text": "82" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "2" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "16" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "36" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "28 (2020)" } }, "Heliports": { "text": "3 (2013)" }, "Pipelines": { "text": "2600 km condensate, 16415 km gas, 3447 km liquid petroleum gas, 7036 km oil, 144 km refined products (2013)" }, "Railways": { "total": { "text": "3,973 km (2014)" }, "standard gauge": { "text": "2,888 km 1.432-m gauge (283 km electrified) (2014)" }, "narrow gauge": { "text": "1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2014)" } }, "Roadways": { "total": { "text": "104,000 km (2015)" }, "paved": { "text": "71,656 km (2015)" }, "unpaved": { "text": "32,344 km (2015)" } }, "Merchant marine": { "total": { "text": "114" }, "by type": { "text": "bulk carrier 1, container ship 2, general cargo 11, oil tanker 11, other 89 (2021)" } }, "Ports and terminals": { "major seaport(s)": { "text": "Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda" }, "LNG terminal(s) (export)": { "text": "Arzew, Bethioua, Skikda" } } }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "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 Gendarmerie; Ministry of Interior: General Directorate of National Security (national police) (2021)" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2020": { "text": "7% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "6% of GDP (2019)" }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "5.5% of GDP (2018)" }, "Military Expenditures 2017": { "text": "5.5% of GDP (2017)" }, "Military Expenditures 2016": { "text": "6.4% of GDP (2016)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { "text": "approximately 140,000 ANP personnel (120,000 Army; 6,000 Navy; 14,000 Air Force); approximately 130,000 National Gendarmerie; approximately 200,000 General Directorate of National Security (2021)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the ANP's inventory includes mostly Russian-sourced equipment; since 2010, China, Germany, and Russia are the leading suppliers of armaments to Algeria (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service (including women); 19-30 years of age for compulsory service (all Algerian men must register at age 17); conscript service obligation reduced from 18 to 12 months in 2014 (2021)", "note": "note - in 2020, conscripts comprised an estimated 70% of the military" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the ANP has 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
in 2021, Algeria had the largest defense budget (approximately $9 billion) and one of the best-equipped militaries in Africa
the ANP traditionally has focused on internal stability and on Morocco where relations as of 2021 remained tense over Western Sahara and Algerian accusations that Morocco supports the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK), a separatist group in Algeria’s Kabylie region; however, following the Arab Spring events of 2011 and a series of cross-border terrorist attacks emanating from Mali in 2012-2013, particularly the 2013 attack on a commercial gas plant by al-Qa’ida-linked terrorists that resulted in the deaths of 35 hostages and 29 jihadists, it has made a concerted effort to beef up security along its other borders and promote regional security cooperation; since 2013, additional Army and paramilitary forces were deployed to the borders with Tunisia, Libya, Niger, and Mali to interdict and deter cross-border attacks by Islamic militant groups; in addition, Algeria has provided security assistance to some neighboring countries, particularly Tunisia, and conducted joint military/counter-terrorism operations
" } }, "Terrorism": { "Terrorist group(s)": { "text": "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 Appendix T" } }, "Transnational Issues": { "Disputes - international": { "text": "Algeria and many other states reject Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; the Polisario Front, exiled in Algeria, represents the \"Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic\" which Algeria recognizes; the Algerian-Moroccan land border remains closed; dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km of southeastern Algeria and the National Liberation Front's (FLN) assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco.
" }, "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { "text": "more than 100,000 (Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf) (2018); 6,750 (Syria) (mid-year 2021)" } }, "Trafficking in persons": { "current situation": { "text": "
human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims; Algerian women and girls are vulnerable to sex trafficking due to financial problems or after running away from home; undocumented sub-Saharan migrants are vulnerable to labor and sex trafficking and are exploited in restaurants, houses, and informal worksites; sub-Saharan men and women needing more funds for their onward journey to Europe work illegally in construction and commercial sex and are vulnerable to sex trafficking and debt bondage; foreign women and girls, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, are subject to sex trafficking in bars and informal brothels; criminal begging rings that exploit sub-Saharan African migrant children are common
" }, "tier rating": { "text": "Tier 3 — Algeria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; authorities prosecuted fewer traffickers and identified fewer victims compared to last year and convicted no traffickers; the government continued to lack effective procedures and mechanisms to screen for, identify, and refer potential victims to protective services and punished some potential victims for unlawful acts traffickers forced them to commit; the government took some steps to combat trafficking, including prosecuting some traffickers, identifying some victims, and continuing to implement its 2019-2021 national anti-trafficking action plan (2020)" } } } }