According to the History Channel, the Atlantic Slave Trade occurred between the early 1500s and 1860s, prompting slave traders to transport more than 12.5 million men, women, and children on slave ships to other areas. Additionally, millions of enslaved Africans died before reaching their resettlement. 

The National Institutes of Health reported that the African Diaspora was a result of mass enslavement from parts of Africa to the Americas and other countries. 

Here is a list of 11 countries with the most prominent Black populations outside Africa:

South America

Brazil

According to a 2022 report from the North American Congress of Latin America, Brazil has the most significant African diaspora, with 56 percent or about 120 million people. While Brazil is deemed the largest South American country, Black residents have stated that racism has been the primary cause of racial inequality since the 1960s and 1970s. 

Additionally, politics have also influenced how the Black population is viewed in Brazil by its government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Afro-Brazilians were the leading race group to contract the virus and died from it at disproportionate rates, per NACLA. 

Today, Brazil’s Black population continues to fight issues including racism, sexism, LGBTQ+ and other matters that affect human rights. 

Colombia

In a 2018 report from the National Administrative Department of Statistics of Colombia, around 3 million people identified as Black. However, the total number decreased from 4.3 million in a 2005 survey conducted by the agency. 

The World Bank indicated that Afro-Colombians were found along Colombia’s Pacific coast. Additional findings from the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) stated that Cartagena (Bolívar) and Cali (Valle del Cauca) are two cities with large Black populations. 

Venezuela

According to PBS, Venezuela is another South American country with a large Black population. Like other countries, the total number of Black people in Venezuela is calculated based on several factors, including slavery, racism and socioeconomic status. 

While there are various cities in Venezuela with Black people, the Barlovento region has the largest Black population in the country. However, those identifying as Black comprise 10 to 12 percent of the total population, about 1.8-2 million people, per encyclopedia.com. 

While mixed-race people also exist in Venezuela, those who are dark-skinned are considered “Afro-Venezuelans.” 

North America

United States

The Black population in the United States has continued to grow in record numbers over the last decades. According to the Pew Research Center, an estimated 47.2 million people have identified as Black, making up around 14.2 percent of the nation’s population. The statistics show that the number of Black Americans has increased by 30 percent since 2000, with a total of 36.3 million Black people in the states. 

The Pew Research Center also calculated its findings using microdata from the Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) and Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) from the University of Minnesota. 

Moreover, the agencies used four demographic groups to determine the U.S. Black population: 

• The total U.S. Black population
• Single-race, non-Hispanic Black people
• Multiracial, non-Hispanic Black people
• Black Hispanic people

Mexico

The Wilson Center, launched by Congress, reported that 2,576,213 people in Mexico identified as Black or Afro-Mexican, representing 2 percent of the country’s total population. They’re also determined by gender, with women (50.4 percent) and men (49.6 percent). 

In 2020, moderately 50 percent of the Afro-Mexican population was based in six states: Guerrero, Mexico State, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Mexico City and Jalisco. The Afro-descendant groups in these regions have also faced structural racism, denying them fundamental human rights needed to enhance their economic situation. 

Caribbean

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is one of several Caribbean islands serving as a territory to the United States. A 2021 report from Data USA stated the Hispanic population with Black or African American ancestry was estimated at around 9.84 percent or 327,000 people. 

According to Discover Puerto Rico, Loíza is the biggest town on the island, with a large Black population known for its African heritage. Today, the music, dance, culinary traditions and art in Loíza are labeled as Afro-Puerto Rican. 

In addition to Loíza, other towns like Cangrejos (Santurce), Carolina and Canóvanas have large Black populations, per Minority Rights. 

Dominican Republic 

In 2008, the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy reported that the Dominican Republic is the fifth largest country in the African diaspora, with 8 million people identifying as Black. However, Black Dominicans in the country face racism and socioeconomic problems due to their skin color as opposed to their white counterparts. 

Today, approximately nearly 8 million people identify as Black living in the Dominican Republic, per Dominican Today.