Kenya vs Sudan: Urban and rural population

Kenya
18.53 million
in 2025
Sudan
18.05 million
in 2025
Kenya rank
45th
Sudan rank
48th

Urban and rural population over time

  • Kenya
  • Sudan
05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M195019872025

How they compare

Kenya currently reports 18.53 million against 18.05 million in Sudan, a difference of 484,300.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 76 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Sudan ahead.

Kenya ranks 45th and Sudan ranks 48th of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Kenya averaged higher in 2 and Sudan in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade Kenya Sudan Difference Ahead
1950s 459,158 617,235 158,077 Sudan
1960s 837,950 1.43 million 589,670 Sudan
1970s 1.73 million 2.61 million 879,695 Sudan
1980s 3.25 million 4.54 million 1.29 million Sudan
1990s 4.88 million 7.77 million 2.89 million Sudan
2000s 9.35 million 10.07 million 713,937 Sudan
2010s 14.73 million 13.48 million 1.25 million Kenya
2020s 17.34 million 17.17 million 169,267 Kenya

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban and rural population, Kenya or Sudan?
Kenya, at 18.53 million against 18.05 million in Sudan as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban and rural population between Kenya and Sudan?
484,300, with Kenya ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and Sudan?
76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
How do Kenya and Sudan rank globally for urban and rural population?
Kenya ranks 45th and Sudan ranks 48th of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Urban and rural population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Urban and rural population
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed