Urban population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Urban population growth was 3.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 3.6%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 5.3% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 2025.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.8% | — |
| 1962 | 4.9% | +2.2% |
| 1963 | 5.0% | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 5.1% | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 5.1% | +1.4% |
| 1966 | 5.2% | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 5.2% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 5.2% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 5.2% | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 5.2% | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 5.2% | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 5.3% | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 5.3% | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 5.3% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 5.3% | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 5.2% | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 5.1% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 5.0% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 5.0% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 4.9% | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 4.9% | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 4.9% | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 4.9% | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 4.8% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 4.9% | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 4.9% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 5.0% | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 4.9% | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 4.8% | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 4.6% | -3.5% |
| 1991 | 4.5% | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 4.1% | -8.0% |
| 1993 | 4.1% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 4.1% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 4.0% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 3.9% | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 3.9% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 4.0% | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 4.0% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 4.1% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 4.1% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 4.2% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 4.2% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 4.2% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 4.2% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 4.0% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 4.0% | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 3.9% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 3.9% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 3.9% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 3.8% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 3.7% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 3.7% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 3.7% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 3.6% | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 3.6% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 3.6% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.1% | 4.8% | 5.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.2% | 5.0% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.9% | 4.8% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.1% | 3.9% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.1% | 4.0% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.9% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 3 Rwanda 5.6% compare
- 4 Niger 5.0% compare
- 5 Mozambique 4.9% compare
- 6 United Arab Emirates 4.9% compare
- 7 Saudi Arabia 4.8% compare
- 8 Tanzania, United Republic of 4.8% compare
- 9 Uganda 4.8% compare
More climate change data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population growth 2.4% (2025)
- Population, total 1.32 billion (2025)
- Urban population 590.18 million (2025)
- Urban population 44.7% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 16.3% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 132.53 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 3.4% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 17.3% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 13.3% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 3.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Urban population growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 3.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 5.3% in 1973.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 2025.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for urban population growth?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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.