Urban population in Zambia
Zambia: Urban population was 10.06 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Zambia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Zambia is 10.06 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 46.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Zambia peaked at 10.06 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 543,186, in 1960.
That places Zambia 66th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 | 842,592 | 543,186 | 1.23 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.78 million | 1.32 million | 2.24 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.66 million | 2.31 million | 2.99 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.32 million | 3.06 million | 3.52 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.35 million | 3.59 million | 5.33 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.77 million | 5.58 million | 8.05 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.18 million | 8.36 million | 10.06 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More climate change data for Zambia
- Population growth 2.8% (2025)
- Population, total 21.91 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.7% (2025)
- Urban population 45.9% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 15.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1.57 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 2.0% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 41.3% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 41.3% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 3 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Zambia?
- Urban population in Zambia was 10.06 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.06 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 543,186 in 1960.
- How does Zambia rank for urban population?
- Zambia ranks 66th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia 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.