Urban population in Zambia
Zambia: Urban population was 45.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Zambia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Zambia stood at 45.9%. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Zambia peaked at 45.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 17.2%, in 1960.
That places Zambia 160th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 17.2% | — |
| 1961 | 18.1% | +5.4% |
| 1962 | 19.1% | +5.2% |
| 1963 | 20.1% | +5.1% |
| 1964 | 21.3% | +6.1% |
| 1965 | 22.9% | +7.3% |
| 1966 | 24.6% | +7.6% |
| 1967 | 26.4% | +7.2% |
| 1968 | 28.0% | +6.3% |
| 1969 | 29.4% | +5.0% |
| 1970 | 30.7% | +4.2% |
| 1971 | 31.9% | +4.1% |
| 1972 | 33.2% | +4.0% |
| 1973 | 34.4% | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 35.6% | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 36.8% | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 37.8% | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 38.6% | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 39.3% | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 39.7% | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 39.9% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 39.9% | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 39.9% | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 39.8% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 39.8% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 39.7% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 39.7% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 39.6% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 39.5% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 39.5% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 39.4% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 39.3% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 39.1% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 38.9% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 38.7% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 38.4% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 38.0% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 37.4% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 36.7% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 36.2% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 35.9% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 35.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 36.1% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 36.4% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 36.8% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 37.3% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 37.8% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 38.4% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 39.0% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 39.5% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 40.0% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 40.4% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 40.8% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 41.2% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 41.6% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 42.0% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 42.3% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 42.7% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 43.1% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 43.5% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 43.9% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 44.2% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 44.6% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 45.0% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 45.5% | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 45.9% | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 22.7% | 17.2% | 29.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 35.8% | 30.7% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 39.7% | 39.5% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.2% | 36.2% | 39.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.3% | 35.9% | 39.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.7% | 40.0% | 43.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.9% | 43.9% | 45.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 157 Turkmenistan 47.1% compare
- 158 Guinea-Bissau 46.7% compare
- 159 Sierra Leone 45.9% compare
- 161 Seychelles 45.5% compare
- 162 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.1% compare
- 163 Lesotho 44.7% compare
More climate change data for Zambia
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 7,547 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,795 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,752 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 10.55 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 169.71 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,153 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,033 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 120.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.67 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 4.29 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Zambia?
- Urban population in Zambia was 45.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 45.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.2% in 1960.
- How does Zambia rank for urban population?
- Zambia ranks 160th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total 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. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.