Urban population growth in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Urban population growth was 3.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Africa Eastern and Southern, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Africa Eastern and Southern recorded 3.7% for urban population growth in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 5.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 1997.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 3rd of 45 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.2% | — |
| 1962 | 4.3% | +2.9% |
| 1963 | 4.3% | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 4.4% | +1.7% |
| 1965 | 4.5% | +2.0% |
| 1966 | 4.5% | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 4.6% | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 4.6% | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 4.7% | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 4.7% | +1.3% |
| 1971 | 4.8% | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 4.9% | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 5.0% | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 5.0% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 4.8% | -2.5% |
| 1976 | 4.7% | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 4.6% | -3.3% |
| 1978 | 4.6% | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 4.8% | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 4.7% | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 4.6% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 4.7% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 4.8% | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 4.9% | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 5.1% | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 5.2% | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 5.2% | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 5.1% | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 5.0% | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 4.8% | -3.2% |
| 1991 | 4.3% | -9.8% |
| 1992 | 3.9% | -9.4% |
| 1993 | 4.0% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 4.1% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 3.8% | -6.2% |
| 1996 | 3.5% | -7.7% |
| 1997 | 3.4% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 3.7% | +6.5% |
| 1999 | 3.8% | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 3.8% | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 3.9% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 3.9% | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 4.0% | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 4.1% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 3.9% | -5.8% |
| 2008 | 4.3% | +9.4% |
| 2009 | 4.0% | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 3.7% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 3.7% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 3.9% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 3.8% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 4.0% | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 3.8% | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 3.8% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 3.8% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 3.6% | -5.1% |
| 2024 | 3.7% | +2.5% |
| 2025 | 3.7% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.5% | 4.2% | 4.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.8% | 4.6% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.9% | 4.6% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.9% | 3.4% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.0% | 3.8% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.7% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 3.6% | 3.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More climate change data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Population growth 2.5% (2025)
- Population, total 788.84 million (2025)
- Urban population 305.30 million (2025)
- Urban population 38.7% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 15.2% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 100.16 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 5.0% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 17.9% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 14.5% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 8.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Urban population growth in Africa Eastern and Southern was 3.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 1987.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 1997.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for urban population growth?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 3rd out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.