Share urban and rural population in Zambia
Zambia: Share urban and rural population was 45.92 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
45.92
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
172nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
45.92
in 2025
All-time low
11.5
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share urban and rural population in Zambia, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, share urban and rural population in Zambia stood at 45.92. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share urban and rural population in Zambia peaked at 45.92 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 11.5, in 1950.
Zambia ranks 172nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share urban and rural population in Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 11.5 | — |
| 1951 | 11.63 | +1.1% |
| 1952 | 11.88 | +2.2% |
| 1953 | 12.25 | +3.1% |
| 1954 | 12.73 | +3.9% |
| 1955 | 13.3 | +4.5% |
| 1956 | 13.96 | +4.9% |
| 1957 | 14.69 | +5.2% |
| 1958 | 15.48 | +5.4% |
| 1959 | 16.33 | +5.5% |
| 1960 | 17.22 | +5.5% |
| 1961 | 18.15 | +5.4% |
| 1962 | 19.1 | +5.2% |
| 1963 | 20.08 | +5.1% |
| 1964 | 21.31 | +6.1% |
| 1965 | 22.86 | +7.3% |
| 1966 | 24.59 | +7.6% |
| 1967 | 26.36 | +7.2% |
| 1968 | 28.02 | +6.3% |
| 1969 | 29.42 | +5.0% |
| 1970 | 30.65 | +4.2% |
| 1971 | 31.91 | +4.1% |
| 1972 | 33.19 | +4.0% |
| 1973 | 34.44 | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 35.65 | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 36.77 | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 37.76 | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 38.61 | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 39.27 | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 39.7 | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 39.89 | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 39.89 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 39.87 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 39.84 | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 39.79 | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 39.74 | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 39.68 | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 39.61 | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 39.53 | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 39.45 | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 39.36 | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 39.25 | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 39.1 | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 38.9 | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 38.67 | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 38.4 | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 37.98 | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 37.38 | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 36.72 | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 36.17 | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 35.87 | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 35.88 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 36.07 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 36.39 | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 36.8 | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 37.3 | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 37.84 | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 38.4 | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 38.96 | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 39.49 | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 39.96 | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 40.37 | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 40.77 | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 41.17 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 41.56 | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 41.96 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 42.34 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 42.73 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 43.11 | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 43.49 | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 43.86 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 44.24 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 44.6 | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 45.03 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 45.47 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 45.92 | +1.0% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 45.92 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.87, 90% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 45.92 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.89, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.37 | 11.5 | 16.33 | 10 |
| 1960s | 22.71 | 17.22 | 29.42 | 10 |
| 1970s | 35.8 | 30.65 | 39.7 | 10 |
| 1980s | 39.73 | 39.45 | 39.89 | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.19 | 36.17 | 39.36 | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.3 | 35.87 | 39.49 | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.75 | 39.96 | 43.49 | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.85 | 43.86 | 45.92 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 169 Turkmenistan 47.11 compare
- 170 Guinea-Bissau 46.65 compare
- 171 Sierra Leone 45.93 compare
- 173 Seychelles 45.48 compare
- 174 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.11 compare
- 175 Lesotho 44.67 compare
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)
- Population growth rate 0.516 (2100)
- Population density 86.73 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 4.60 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share urban and rural population in Zambia?
- Share urban and rural population in Zambia was 45.92 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share urban and rural population recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 45.92 in 2025.
- What is the lowest share urban and rural population recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5 in 1950.
- How does Zambia rank for share urban and rural population?
- Zambia ranks 172nd out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share urban and rural population rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share urban and rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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