Urban population in Sudan
Sudan: Urban population was 18.05 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Sudan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Sudan is 18.05 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.6% on the previous year and up 32.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Sudan peaked at 18.05 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 980,283, in 1960.
That places Sudan 47th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Sudan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 980,283 | — |
| 1961 | 1.07 million | +8.8% |
| 1962 | 1.16 million | +8.6% |
| 1963 | 1.26 million | +8.4% |
| 1964 | 1.36 million | +8.1% |
| 1965 | 1.46 million | +7.9% |
| 1966 | 1.57 million | +7.6% |
| 1967 | 1.69 million | +7.3% |
| 1968 | 1.81 million | +6.9% |
| 1969 | 1.93 million | +6.6% |
| 1970 | 2.05 million | +6.3% |
| 1971 | 2.17 million | +5.9% |
| 1972 | 2.29 million | +5.6% |
| 1973 | 2.42 million | +5.9% |
| 1974 | 2.55 million | +5.4% |
| 1975 | 2.67 million | +4.7% |
| 1976 | 2.79 million | +4.5% |
| 1977 | 2.92 million | +4.4% |
| 1978 | 3.06 million | +4.8% |
| 1979 | 3.21 million | +5.1% |
| 1980 | 3.38 million | +5.3% |
| 1981 | 3.56 million | +5.4% |
| 1982 | 3.75 million | +5.4% |
| 1983 | 3.96 million | +5.4% |
| 1984 | 4.19 million | +5.9% |
| 1985 | 4.49 million | +7.2% |
| 1986 | 4.86 million | +8.2% |
| 1987 | 5.28 million | +8.6% |
| 1988 | 5.72 million | +8.4% |
| 1989 | 6.17 million | +7.8% |
| 1990 | 6.60 million | +6.9% |
| 1991 | 6.97 million | +5.7% |
| 1992 | 7.28 million | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 7.50 million | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 7.71 million | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 7.92 million | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 8.12 million | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 8.31 million | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 8.54 million | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 8.76 million | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 9.00 million | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 9.23 million | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 9.47 million | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 9.69 million | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 9.91 million | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 10.15 million | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 10.39 million | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 10.64 million | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 10.92 million | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 11.26 million | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 11.59 million | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 11.89 million | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 12.24 million | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 12.63 million | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 13.11 million | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 13.64 million | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 14.11 million | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 14.65 million | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 15.21 million | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 15.70 million | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 16.17 million | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 16.65 million | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 17.15 million | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 17.41 million | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 17.59 million | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 18.05 million | +2.6% |
Sudan compared with similar countries
- Sudan's 18.05 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.96 million, 2.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sudan's 18.05 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 3.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.43 million | 980,283 | 1.93 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.61 million | 2.05 million | 3.21 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.54 million | 3.38 million | 6.17 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.77 million | 6.60 million | 8.76 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.07 million | 9.00 million | 11.26 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.48 million | 11.59 million | 15.70 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.17 million | 16.17 million | 18.05 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sudan
- 44 Uzbekistan 18.90 million compare
- 45 Kenya 18.53 million compare
- 46 Syria 18.47 million compare
- 48 Cote d'Ivoire 17.84 million compare
- 49 Chile 17.71 million compare
- 50 Netherlands 17.35 million compare
More climate change data for Sudan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 120.48 million kg (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 72,276 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 21,634 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 50,642 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 81.64 kt (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,809 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,215 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,182 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 33.05 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 4.46 kt (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Sudan?
- Urban population in Sudan was 18.05 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 18.05 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 980,283 in 1960.
- How does Sudan rank for urban population?
- Sudan ranks 47th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sudan 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.