Country Summary: Algeria
Country Name: Algeria
Capital: Algiers
Official Visa & Travel Information: Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Algeria (Visa Services)
Government Type: Presidential Republic
Background: 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, though it is falling out of favor with the youth. 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 election led the Algerian military 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. FIS membership is illegal.
Former president 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. Protests broke out across the country in late February 2019 against President Bouteflika’s decision to seek a fifth term. Bouteflika resigned in April 2019, and in December 2019, Algerians elected former Prime Minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune as the country's new president. A longtime FLN member, Tebboune ran for president as an independent. In 2020, Algeria held a constitutional referendum, which President Tebboune enacted in January 2021. Subsequent reforms to the national electoral law introduced open list voting to curb corruption. The new law also eliminated gender quotas in Parliament, and the June 2021 legislative elections saw female representation plummet. Local elections took place in November 2021. The referendum, parliamentary elections, and local elections saw record low voter turnout. Since 2014, Algeria’s reliance on hydrocarbon export revenues to fund the government and finance the large subsidies for the population has fallen under stress because of volatile energy prices and increased domestic consumption of energy products.
Continent: Africa
Population: 44,758,398 (2023 est.)
Ethnic Groups: Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%
Note: although almost all Algerians are Berber in origin (not Arab), only a minority identify themselves as primarily Berber, about 15% of the total population; these people live mostly in the mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers and several other communities; the Berbers are also Muslim but identify with their Berber rather than Arab cultural heritage; Berbers have long agitated, sometimes violently, for autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has officially recognized Berber languages and introduced them into public schools.
Languages: Arabic (official), French (lingua franca), Berber or Tamazight (official); dialects include Kabyle Berber (Taqbaylit), Shawiya Berber (Tacawit), Mzab Berber, and Tuareg Berber (Tamahaq).
Religions: Muslim (official; predominantly Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Ahmadi Muslim, Shia Muslim, Ibadi Muslim) <1% (2012 est.)
Economic Overview: Suffering oil and gas economy; lack of sector and market diversification; political instability chilling domestic consumption; poor credit access and declines in business confidence; COVID-19 austerity policies; delayed promised socio-economic reforms.
Currency: Algerian dinar (DZD)
Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $56.211 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $487.716 billion (2021 est.)
Real GDP Growth Rate: 3.5% (2021 est.)
Real GDP per Capita: $11,000 (2021 est.); note: data is in 2017 U.S. dollars
Exports:
$41.776 billion (2021 est.); note: data is in current year U.S. dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Comparison Ranking: 68
Export Commodities: Natural gas, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, fertilizers, and ammonia (2021)
Export Partners: Italy 13%, France 13%, Spain 12%, United States 7%, United Kingdom 7%, India 5%, South Korea 5% (2019)
Imports:
$44.322 billion (2021 est.) note: data is in current year U.S. dollars
Comparison Ranking: 68
Import Commodities: Refined petroleum, wheat, packaged medical supplies, milk, and vehicle parts (2019)
Import Partners: China 18%, France 14%, Italy 8%, Spain 8%, Germany 5%, Turkey 5% (2019)
Natural Resources: Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, and zinc.
Agricultural Products: Potatoes, wheat, milk, watermelons, barley, onions, tomatoes, oranges, dates, and vegetables.
Industries: Petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, and food processing.
Industrial Production Growth Rate:
7.36% (2021 est.)
Comparison Ranking: 57
Labor Force: 12.312 million (2021 est.)
Labor Force By Occupation:
Agriculture: 10.8%
Industry: 30.9%
Services: 58.4% (2011 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 12.7% (2021 est.)
Natural Hazards: Mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season; droughts.
Geography:
Total: 2,381,740 sq km
Land: 2,381,740 sq km
Water: 0 sq km
(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)
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