Ghana vs Nigeria: Share of population living in cities
Ghana
48.9%
in 2020
Nigeria
48.9%
in 2020
Ghana rank
60th
Nigeria rank
58th
Share of population living in cities over time
- Ghana
- Nigeria
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 48.9% against 48.9% in Ghana, a difference of 0.0%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Nigeria has been ahead every year.
Ghana ranks 60th and Nigeria ranks 58th of 236 countries.
Nigeria has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ghana | Nigeria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 9.5% | 10.9% | 1.4% | Nigeria |
| 1960s | 13.0% | 17.1% | 4.1% | Nigeria |
| 1970s | 17.2% | 24.9% | 7.6% | Nigeria |
| 1980s | 21.9% | 32.1% | 10.2% | Nigeria |
| 1990s | 27.3% | 37.6% | 10.3% | Nigeria |
| 2000s | 35.3% | 42.6% | 7.4% | Nigeria |
| 2010s | 44.7% | 47.4% | 2.6% | Nigeria |
| 2020s | 48.9% | 48.9% | 0.0% | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in cities, Ghana or Nigeria?
- Nigeria, at 48.9% against 48.9% in Ghana as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities between Ghana and Nigeria?
- 0.0%, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ghana and Nigeria?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Ghana and Nigeria rank globally for share of population living in cities?
- Ghana ranks 60th and Nigeria ranks 58th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in cities. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.