Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Senegal
Senegal: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 30.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Senegal, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Senegal stood at 30.1%.
The figure is down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Senegal peaked at 32.2% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 21.1%, in 1955.
Senegal ranks 69th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Senegal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 21.1% | — |
| 1955 | 21.1% | -0.1% |
| 1960 | 24.3% | +15.4% |
| 1965 | 25.5% | +4.8% |
| 1970 | 26.6% | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 27.8% | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 29.7% | +7.0% |
| 1985 | 31.5% | +5.9% |
| 1990 | 32.2% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 31.7% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 31.7% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 32.1% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 31.8% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 31.4% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 30.1% | -4.1% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 30.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.9%, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 30.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.9%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 21.1% | 21.1% | 21.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 24.9% | 24.3% | 25.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 27.2% | 26.6% | 27.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 30.6% | 29.7% | 31.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 32.0% | 31.7% | 32.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 31.9% | 31.7% | 32.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 31.6% | 31.4% | 31.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 30.1% | 30.1% | 30.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
More population data for Senegal
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.7576 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.3558 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.42 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.3558 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.3% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.10 million people (2100)
- Population density 244.19 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.3% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.4124 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.44 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Senegal?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Senegal was 30.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 32.2% in 1990.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.1% in 1955.
- How does Senegal rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Senegal ranks 69th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Senegal data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.