Urban population, per square kilometre in Zambia

Zambia: Urban population, per square kilometre was 12.55 units per square kilometre in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
12.55 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
185th
of 216 countries
All-time high
12.55 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
0.7944 units per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Urban population, per square kilometre in Zambia, 1961–2023

02.557.51012.5196119922023

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.

Analysis

The most recent figure for urban population, per square kilometre in Zambia is 12.55 units per square kilometre, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 47.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban population, per square kilometre in Zambia peaked at 12.55 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.7944 units per square kilometre, in 1961.

That places Zambia 185th out of 216 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Urban population, per square kilometre in Zambia, year by year

Annual values for Urban population, per square kilometre in Zambia, 1961 to 2023.
Year units per square kilometre Change
1961 0.7944 units per square kilometre
1962 0.8627 units per square kilometre +8.6%
1963 0.936 units per square kilometre +8.5%
1964 1.03 units per square kilometre +9.5%
1965 1.14 units per square kilometre +10.8%
1966 1.26 units per square kilometre +11.1%
1967 1.4 units per square kilometre +10.7%
1968 1.53 units per square kilometre +9.8%
1969 1.66 units per square kilometre +8.4%
1970 1.78 units per square kilometre +7.3%
1971 1.91 units per square kilometre +7.0%
1972 2.04 units per square kilometre +7.0%
1973 2.18 units per square kilometre +6.8%
1974 2.32 units per square kilometre +6.6%
1975 2.47 units per square kilometre +6.3%
1976 2.61 units per square kilometre +5.9%
1977 2.75 units per square kilometre +5.4%
1978 2.89 units per square kilometre +4.8%
1979 3.01 units per square kilometre +4.2%
1980 3.11 units per square kilometre +3.5%
1981 3.21 units per square kilometre +3.1%
1982 3.31 units per square kilometre +3.2%
1983 3.42 units per square kilometre +3.2%
1984 3.52 units per square kilometre +3.0%
1985 3.63 units per square kilometre +2.9%
1986 3.73 units per square kilometre +2.9%
1987 3.83 units per square kilometre +2.8%
1988 3.93 units per square kilometre +2.6%
1989 4.03 units per square kilometre +2.5%
1990 4.12 units per square kilometre +2.4%
1991 4.21 units per square kilometre +2.2%
1992 4.3 units per square kilometre +2.0%
1993 4.38 units per square kilometre +1.9%
1994 4.46 units per square kilometre +1.8%
1995 4.54 units per square kilometre +1.7%
1996 4.6 units per square kilometre +1.4%
1997 4.64 units per square kilometre +0.9%
1998 4.68 units per square kilometre +0.9%
1999 4.74 units per square kilometre +1.2%
2000 4.83 units per square kilometre +2.0%
2001 4.98 units per square kilometre +3.1%
2002 5.17 units per square kilometre +3.7%
2003 5.38 units per square kilometre +4.1%
2004 5.61 units per square kilometre +4.4%
2005 5.88 units per square kilometre +4.7%
2006 6.17 units per square kilometre +5.0%
2007 6.49 units per square kilometre +5.1%
2008 6.82 units per square kilometre +5.1%
2009 7.17 units per square kilometre +5.0%
2010 7.51 units per square kilometre +4.7%
2011 7.84 units per square kilometre +4.4%
2012 8.18 units per square kilometre +4.3%
2013 8.53 units per square kilometre +4.3%
2014 8.89 units per square kilometre +4.2%
2015 9.26 units per square kilometre +4.1%
2016 9.63 units per square kilometre +4.1%
2017 10.03 units per square kilometre +4.1%
2018 10.42 units per square kilometre +4.0%
2019 10.83 units per square kilometre +3.9%
2020 11.25 units per square kilometre +3.8%
2021 11.67 units per square kilometre +3.7%
2022 12.09 units per square kilometre +3.6%
2023 12.55 units per square kilometre +3.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 1.18 units per square kilometre 0.7944 units per square kilometre 1.66 units per square kilometre 9
1970s 2.4 units per square kilometre 1.78 units per square kilometre 3.01 units per square kilometre 10
1980s 3.57 units per square kilometre 3.11 units per square kilometre 4.03 units per square kilometre 10
1990s 4.47 units per square kilometre 4.12 units per square kilometre 4.74 units per square kilometre 10
2000s 5.85 units per square kilometre 4.83 units per square kilometre 7.17 units per square kilometre 10
2010s 9.11 units per square kilometre 7.51 units per square kilometre 10.83 units per square kilometre 10
2020s 11.89 units per square kilometre 11.25 units per square kilometre 12.55 units per square kilometre 4

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 182 Lao People's Democratic Republic 12.89 units per square kilometre compare
  2. 183 Kyrgyzstan 12.85 units per square kilometre compare
  3. 184 Norway 12.59 units per square kilometre compare
  4. 186 Paraguay 11.98 units per square kilometre compare
  5. 187 Congo 11.53 units per square kilometre compare
  6. 188 New Caledonia 10.74 units per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More climate change data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban population, per square kilometre in Zambia?
Urban population, per square kilometre in Zambia was 12.55 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 12.55 units per square kilometre in 2023.
What is the lowest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7944 units per square kilometre in 1961.
How does Zambia rank for urban population, per square kilometre?
Zambia ranks 185th out of 216 countries with data for 2023.
Is urban population, per square kilometre rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 47.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zambia data come from?
The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Urban population, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Urban population, per square kilometre in Zambia. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/urban-population-per-square-kilometre/zambia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page; please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/urban-population-per-square-kilometre/zambia/">Urban population, per square kilometre in Zambia</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Urban population ÷ Land area (sq. km)

Computed from

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator
Urban population, per square kilometre
Unit
units per square kilometre
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
264 places, 15,342 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.