Urban population in Zambia
Zambia: Urban population was 10.06 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Zambia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Zambia is 10.06 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 46.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Zambia peaked at 10.06 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 543,186, in 1960.
That places Zambia 66th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 543,186 | — |
| 1961 | 590,582 | +8.7% |
| 1962 | 641,293 | +8.6% |
| 1963 | 695,837 | +8.5% |
| 1964 | 762,098 | +9.5% |
| 1965 | 844,071 | +10.8% |
| 1966 | 937,458 | +11.1% |
| 1967 | 1.04 million | +10.7% |
| 1968 | 1.14 million | +9.8% |
| 1969 | 1.23 million | +8.4% |
| 1970 | 1.32 million | +7.3% |
| 1971 | 1.42 million | +7.0% |
| 1972 | 1.52 million | +7.0% |
| 1973 | 1.62 million | +6.8% |
| 1974 | 1.73 million | +6.6% |
| 1975 | 1.83 million | +6.3% |
| 1976 | 1.94 million | +5.9% |
| 1977 | 2.05 million | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 2.15 million | +4.8% |
| 1979 | 2.24 million | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 2.31 million | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 2.39 million | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 2.46 million | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 2.54 million | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 2.62 million | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 2.69 million | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 2.77 million | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 2.85 million | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 2.92 million | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 2.99 million | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 3.06 million | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 3.13 million | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 3.20 million | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 3.26 million | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 3.32 million | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 3.37 million | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 3.42 million | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 3.45 million | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 3.48 million | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 3.52 million | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 3.59 million | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 3.71 million | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 3.84 million | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 4.00 million | +4.1% |
| 2004 | 4.17 million | +4.4% |
| 2005 | 4.37 million | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 4.59 million | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 4.83 million | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 5.07 million | +5.1% |
| 2009 | 5.33 million | +5.0% |
| 2010 | 5.58 million | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 5.83 million | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 6.08 million | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 6.34 million | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 6.61 million | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 6.88 million | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 7.16 million | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 7.45 million | +4.1% |
| 2018 | 7.75 million | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 8.05 million | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 8.36 million | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 8.67 million | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 8.99 million | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 9.33 million | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 9.69 million | +3.9% |
| 2025 | 10.06 million | +3.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 10.06 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.62 million, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 10.06 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 842,592 | 543,186 | 1.23 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.78 million | 1.32 million | 2.24 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.66 million | 2.31 million | 2.99 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.32 million | 3.06 million | 3.52 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.35 million | 3.59 million | 5.33 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.77 million | 5.58 million | 8.05 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.18 million | 8.36 million | 10.06 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More climate change data for Zambia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 303.19 million kg (2050)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Zambia?
- Urban population in Zambia was 10.06 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.06 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 543,186 in 1960.
- How does Zambia rank for urban population?
- Zambia ranks 66th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia 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.