Urban population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Urban population was 590.23 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 590.23 million for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 44.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 590.23 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 32.66 million, in 1960.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 41.38 million | 32.66 million | 51.58 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 69.53 million | 54.33 million | 86.64 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 114.63 million | 91.04 million | 141.45 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 179.66 million | 148.15 million | 213.59 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 269.82 million | 222.34 million | 322.65 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 402.27 million | 335.64 million | 474.82 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 540.44 million | 492.57 million | 590.23 million | 6 |
More climate change data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population growth 2.4% (2025)
- Population, total 1.32 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.6% (2025)
- Urban population 44.7% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 16.3% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 132.54 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 3.4% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 17.3% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 14.0% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 7.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Urban population in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 590.23 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 590.23 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.66 million in 1960.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.