Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zambia
Zambia: Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 was 45.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zambia, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zambia is 45.9%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zambia peaked at 45.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.
Zambia ranks 174th of 238 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1100s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1200s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1400s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1500s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
| 1600s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 1700s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
| 1710s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1 |
| 1720s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1 |
| 1730s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1 |
| 1740s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1 |
| 1750s | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1 |
| 1760s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1 |
| 1770s | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1 |
| 1780s | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 1 |
| 1790s | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 1 |
| 1800s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 1 |
| 1810s | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 1 |
| 1820s | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 1 |
| 1830s | 3.9% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 1 |
| 1840s | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 1 |
| 1850s | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 1 |
| 1860s | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 1 |
| 1870s | 5.6% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 1 |
| 1880s | 6.2% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 1 |
| 1890s | 6.7% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 1 |
| 1900s | 7.4% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 1 |
| 1910s | 8.1% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 1 |
| 1920s | 8.9% | 8.9% | 8.9% | 1 |
| 1930s | 9.7% | 9.7% | 9.7% | 1 |
| 1940s | 10.6% | 10.6% | 10.6% | 1 |
| 1950s | 13.4% | 11.5% | 16.3% | 10 |
| 1960s | 22.7% | 17.2% | 29.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 35.8% | 30.7% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 39.7% | 39.5% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.2% | 36.2% | 39.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.3% | 35.9% | 39.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.7% | 40.0% | 43.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.9% | 43.9% | 45.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 171 Turkmenistan 47.1% compare
- 172 Guinea-Bissau 46.7% compare
- 173 Sierra Leone 45.9% compare
- 175 Seychelles 45.5% compare
- 176 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.1% compare
- 177 Lesotho 44.7% compare
More population data for Zambia
- 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)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.5% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 4.04 births per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 4.04 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 79,275 people (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 4.04 births per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious 4.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate accounting for survival until childbearing age 3.82 children per women (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zambia?
- Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Zambia was 45.9% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 45.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
- How does Zambia rank for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050?
- Zambia ranks 174th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.