Kenya vs Tanzania, United Republic of: Share of population living in cities

Kenya
23.0%
in 2020
Tanzania, United Republic of
23.1%
in 2020
Kenya rank
166th
Tanzania, United Republic of rank
165th

Share of population living in cities over time

  • Kenya
  • Tanzania, United Republic of
0510152025195019852020

How they compare

Tanzania, United Republic of currently reports 23.1% against 23.0% in Kenya, a difference of 0.1%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Kenya ahead.

Kenya ranks 166th and Tanzania, United Republic of ranks 165th of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Kenya averaged higher in 6 and Tanzania, United Republic of in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Kenya Tanzania, United Republic of Difference Ahead
1950s 3.5% 0.8% 2.6% Kenya
1960s 4.5% 1.7% 2.9% Kenya
1970s 5.7% 2.8% 2.9% Kenya
1980s 8.5% 7.0% 1.5% Kenya
1990s 12.1% 11.2% 0.9% Kenya
2000s 15.7% 15.6% 0.1% Kenya
2010s 19.2% 20.1% 0.8% Tanzania, United Republic of
2020s 23.0% 23.1% 0.1% Tanzania, United Republic of

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in cities, Kenya or Tanzania, United Republic of?
Tanzania, United Republic of, at 23.1% against 23.0% in Kenya as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in cities between Kenya and Tanzania, United Republic of?
0.1%, with Tanzania, United Republic of ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and Tanzania, United Republic of?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Kenya and Tanzania, United Republic of rank globally for share of population living in cities?
Kenya ranks 166th and Tanzania, United Republic of ranks 165th of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – 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.

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Kenya vs Tanzania, United Republic of: Share of population living in cities. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-the-population-living-in-cities/kenya/tanzania/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.