African Union

For the predecessor organisation, see Organisation of African Unity.

African Union (in other official languages) Arabic الاتحاد الأفريقي Spanish Unión Africana French Union africaine Portuguese União Africana Swahili Umoja wa Afrika
Flag Emblem
Motto: "A United and Strong Africa"
Anthem: "African Union Anthem"
Member states   Suspended states
Political centres	Addis Ababa Johannesburg
Largest urban agglomerations	Cairo Lagos
Official languages	Arabic English French Portuguese Spanish Swahili other languages of Africa
Demonym	African
Type	Continental union
Membership	55 member states Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burundi Cameroon Cabo Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Côte d'Ivoire Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Malawi Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nigeria Rwanda Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Suspended members Burkina Faso Guinea-Bissau Madagascar Mali Niger Sudan 9 observer states Haiti Kazakhstan Latvia Mexico Palestine Serbia Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates
Leaders
• Chairperson	Évariste Ndayishimiye
• Commission Chairperson	Mahamoud Ali Youssouf
• Parliamentary President	Fateh Boutbig
Legislature	Pan-African Parliament
Establishment
• OAU Charter	25 May 1963
• Abuja Treaty	3 June 1991
• Sirte Declaration	9 September 1999
• African Union founded	9 July 2002
• Admission of South Sudan	9 July 2011
• Admission of Morocco	31 January 2017
• African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)	1 January 2021
Area
• Total	29,922,059 km2 (11,552,972 sq mi)
Population
• 2025 estimate	1,549,867,579
• Density	51.8/km2 (134.2/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2025 estimate
• Total	$10.830 trillion
• Per capita	$7,370
GDP (nominal)	2025 estimate
• Total	$2.830 trillion
• Per capita	$1,930
HDI (2020)	0.577 medium
Internet TLD	.africa
Website au.int

The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The bloc was launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa. The intention of the AU was to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; the OAU was disbanded on 9 July 2002. The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states. The African economy is regionally integrated through this union.

The AU's secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa. The largest city in the AU is Lagos, Nigeria, while the largest urban agglomeration is Cairo, in Egypt. The African Union has more than 1.5 billion people and an area of around 30 million km² (12 million sq mi) and includes world landmarks such as the Sahara and the Nile. The primary working languages are Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili. Within the African Union, there are official bodies, such as the Peace and Security Council and the Pan-African Parliament. The AU is a member of the G20.