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Indicator

Urban Population by African country

2025

Share of the population living in urban areas.

Africa, 202554 of 54 countries
46.4%population-weighted average
Highest in 2025Gabon · 92.1%Lowest in 2025Malawi · 17.6%Reported in 202554 of 54 countries surveyed
Click a country to pin it — pinned countries are named on the map. Hatching means no record.
Western Sahara — no separate recordTanzania — 36.9%Democratic Republic of the Congo — 45.1%Somalia — 55.1%Kenya — 32.2%Sudan — 34.9%Chad — 27.6%South Africa — 63.8%Lesotho — 44.7%Zimbabwe — 40.5%Botswana — 68.0%Namibia — 50.9%Senegal — 55.8%Mali — 32.2%Mauritania — 61.5%Benin — 53.4%Niger — 18.4%Nigeria — 63.8%Cameroon — 55.7%Togo — 44.4%Ghana — 58.9%Cote d'Ivoire — 54.5%Guinea — 38.5%Guinea-Bissau — 46.7%Liberia — 56.1%Sierra Leone — 45.9%Burkina Faso — 28.9%Central African Republic — 44.6%Republic of the Congo — 64.1%Gabon — 92.1%Equatorial Guinea — 71.6%Zambia — 45.9%Malawi — 17.6%Mozambique — 37.2%Eswatini — 26.7%Angola — 71.5%Burundi — 25.7%Madagascar — 32.9%Gambia — 65.0%Tunisia — 70.7%Algeria — 75.8%Eritrea — 34.5%Morocco — 63.1%Egypt — 42.9%Libya — 87.9%Ethiopia — 24.1%Djibouti — 73.0%Uganda — 31.9%Rwanda — 30.9%South Sudan — 21.7%Nigeria 63.8%Nigeria 63.8%Ethiopia 24.1%Ethiopia 24.1%Kenya 32.2%Kenya 32.2%South Africa 63.8%South Africa 63.8%2025HIGHEST IN 2025Gabon92.1%Libya87.9%Cabo Verdenot drawn77.6%Algeria75.8%Djibouti73.0%LOWEST IN 2025Malawi17.6%Niger18.4%South Sudan21.7%Ethiopia24.1%Burundi25.7%PINNEDKenya32.2%44 of 54Nigeria63.8%14 of 54South Africa63.8%13 of 54OTHER ISLAND STATES · NOT DRAWNComorosnot drawn33.9%Mauritiusnot drawn39.0%Sao Tome and Principenot drawn69.2%Seychellesnot drawn45.5%% of population · quintiles of the observed range17.6%32.2%42.9%53.4%64.1%92.1%no record
20142025
World Bank · national statistics offices · the provider's own estimates where a country has not reportedCC BY 4.0
Countries

By region

Population-weighted, so a region’s figure is the share of its people, not the average of its countries.
Southern Africa5 of 5 countries62.2%
Western Africa16 of 16 countries54.2%
Northern Africa6 of 6 countries52.4%
Middle Africa9 of 9 countries50.9%
Eastern Africa18 of 18 countries31.8%
Africaall 54 countries · 54 with a 2025 figure46.4%

What to know before you quote this

Specific to this series. For how we treat data generally, see methods.
Certainty is judged year by yearA country can be Reported in one year and Modelled the next. The tag follows the year on the scrubber, so the 2025 assessment is not a verdict on the whole series.

About this data

Urban PopulationShare of the population living in urban areas.
SourceWorld Bank, with processing by Africa API
Unit% of population
Last updated15 Oct 2026
Next expected updateOct 2027
Date range1960–2025
Coverage54 of 54 countries · 54 reported, 0 modelled, 0 with no usable figure

How the figure is made

ReportedA national statistics office or the original provider published the figure for that year directly. 54 countries did so for 2025 — the certainty shown on this page is that 2025 assessment, not a per-series one.ModelledNo direct figure that year. The provider’s own estimate, interpolation or projection stands in, and is marked as such wherever it appears.No dataNo usable figure within the window. Drawn hatched on the map and left blank in the table — not zero, and not filled in.

These three states are used the same way across every indicator on the site — how we treat certainty explains the full set and what we never do to a number.

Reuse and cite

Everything on this page is open under CC BY 4.0 — use it anywhere, including commercially, as long as Africa API and the original provider are credited. The provider’s own licence still applies to their data.

How to cite this page
Africa API (2026) — "Urban Population". Data adapted from World Bank. Retrieved 18 Oct 2026 from africa-api.com/indicators/urban-population
The request behind this view
GET /v1/data?metric_key=urban_population_pct&year=2025&limit=100

Read next

The measures that explain this one.
DemographicsPopulationTotal mid-year population.DemographicsPopulation GrowthAnnual population growth rate.DemographicsLife ExpectancyLife expectancy at birth, in years.

Urban Population: most recent figure per country, highest to lowest

54 countries · each with its own period

The figures at the top of the page compare every country in the same year. This list takes each country’s newest figure instead, whatever its period, so the order can differ.

#CountryUrban PopulationPeriod
1Gabon92.1%2025
2Libya87.9%2025
3Cabo Verde77.6%2025
4Algeria75.8%2025
5Djibouti73%2025
6Equatorial Guinea71.6%2025
7Angola71.5%2025
8Tunisia70.7%2025
9Sao Tome and Principe69.2%2025
10Botswana68%2025
11Gambia65%2025
12Republic of the Congo64.1%2025
13South Africa63.8%2025
14Nigeria63.8%2025
15Morocco63.1%2025
16Mauritania61.5%2025
17Ghana58.9%2025
18Liberia56.1%2025
19Senegal55.8%2025
20Cameroon55.7%2025
21Somalia55.1%2025
22Cote d'Ivoire54.5%2025
23Benin53.4%2025
24Namibia50.9%2025
25Guinea-Bissau46.7%2025
26Sierra Leone45.9%2025
27Zambia45.9%2025
28Seychelles45.5%2025
29Democratic Republic of the Congo45.1%2025
30Lesotho44.7%2025
31Central African Republic44.6%2025
32Togo44.4%2025
33Egypt42.9%2025
34Zimbabwe40.5%2025
35Mauritius39%2025
36Guinea38.5%2025
37Mozambique37.2%2025
38Tanzania36.9%2025
39Sudan34.9%2025
40Eritrea34.5%2025
41Comoros33.9%2025
42Madagascar32.9%2025
43Mali32.2%2025
44Kenya32.2%2025
45Uganda31.9%2025
46Rwanda30.9%2025
47Burkina Faso28.9%2025
48Chad27.6%2025
49Eswatini26.7%2025
50Burundi25.7%2025
51Ethiopia24.1%2025
52South Sudan21.7%2025
53Niger18.4%2025
54Malawi17.6%2025
Which observations are included?
The ranking includes 54 of 54 countries with available observations for 2023 or later and within 2 years of the freshest result. Each figure shows its reporting period. Countries without an eligible observation are omitted.
Does a higher value mean a better result?
The ranking is sorted by value, from highest to lowest. The order does not rate a country's performance. Interpretation depends on the indicator and its definition.

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