Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Zambia
Zambia: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 8.92 million people in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Zambia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 8.92 million people for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 32.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Zambia peaked at 8.92 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.28 million people, in 1950.
Zambia ranks 40th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Zambia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.28 million people | — |
| 1955 | 1.46 million people | +14.6% |
| 1960 | 1.67 million people | +14.5% |
| 1965 | 1.92 million people | +14.5% |
| 1970 | 2.19 million people | +14.1% |
| 1975 | 2.47 million people | +13.2% |
| 1980 | 2.89 million people | +16.7% |
| 1985 | 3.47 million people | +20.2% |
| 1990 | 4.07 million people | +17.3% |
| 1995 | 4.58 million people | +12.5% |
| 2000 | 5.20 million people | +13.5% |
| 2005 | 5.85 million people | +12.6% |
| 2010 | 6.76 million people | +15.5% |
| 2015 | 7.76 million people | +14.8% |
| 2020 | 8.92 million people | +15.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.37 million people | 1.28 million people | 1.46 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 1.79 million people | 1.67 million people | 1.92 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 2.33 million people | 2.19 million people | 2.47 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 3.18 million people | 2.89 million people | 3.47 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 4.32 million people | 4.07 million people | 4.58 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.52 million people | 5.20 million people | 5.85 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 7.26 million people | 6.76 million people | 7.76 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 8.92 million people | 8.92 million people | 8.92 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More population data for Zambia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.5254 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.2495 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.5254 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.5112 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 37,460 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.52 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2967 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.5% (2100)
- Population density 86.73 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 4.60 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Zambia?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Zambia was 8.92 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.92 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.28 million people in 1950.
- How does Zambia rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Zambia ranks 40th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.