Algeria vs Western Sahara: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 75.8% in Algeria and 86.9% in Western Sahara, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Western Sahara, by 11.1 percentage points, or 1.15 times that in Algeria.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

AlgeriaWestern SaharaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Western Sahara has been higher since 1970, when it overtook Algeria.
In 2025, Algeria ranked 78 and Western Sahara ranked 47 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Algeria at 86.2% and Western Sahara at 89.8% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Algeria	Western Sahara
2025	75.8	86.9
2024	75.3	86.8
2023	74.7	86.8
2022	74.2	86.8
2021	73.6	86.7
2020	73.1	86.7
2019	72.5	86.7
2018	71.9	86.6
2017	71.3	86.6
2016	70.7	86.6
2015	70.1	86.5
2014	69.6	86.5
2013	69	86.4
2012	68.3	86.4
2011	67.7	86.4
2010	67.1	86.3
2009	66.5	86.3
2008	65.9	86.3
2007	65.2	86.2
2006	64.4	86.2
2005	63.7	86.2
2004	62.9	86.1
2003	62.1	86.1
2002	61.4	86
2001	60.6	86
2000	59.9	85.9
1999	59.1	85.9
1998	58.3	85.8
1997	57.6	85.7
1996	56.8	85.6
1995	56	85.6
1994	55.3	85.5
1993	54.5	85.3
1992	53.7	85.2
1991	52.9	85
1990	52.1	84.7
1989	51.4	84.4
1988	50.5	84.1
1987	49.7	83.7
1986	48.9	83.3
1985	47.9	82.8
1984	46.9	82.3
1983	45.8	81.7
1982	44.8	81
1981	43.7	79.6
1980	42.8	77
1979	42	73.6
1978	41.3	69.6
1977	40.8	65.1
1976	40.5	60.5
1975	40.2	55.8
1974	40.1	51.4
1973	39.9	47.4
1972	39.8	44
1971	39.7	41.5
1970	39.6	39.9
1969	39.5	38.6
1968	39.3	37.3
1967	39.1	36
1966	38.8	34.9
1965	38.3	33.9
1964	37.4	33
1963	36.1	32.3
1962	34.5	31.7
1961	32.9	31.4
1960	31.3	31.2
1959	29.8	31.2
1958	27.8	31.1
1957	25.8	31.1
1956	24	31.1
1955	22.9	31.1
1954	22.7	31
1953	23.2	31
1952	24.2	31
1951	25.3	31
1950	26.4	31

UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050

Year	Algeria	Western Sahara
2026	76.4	87
2027	76.9	87.1
2028	77.4	87.3
2029	77.9	87.5
2030	78.4	87.8
2031	78.9	88
2032	79.4	88.3
2033	79.9	88.5
2034	80.3	88.6
2035	80.8	88.8
2036	81.2	88.9
2037	81.6	89
2038	82.1	89.1
2039	82.5	89.2
2040	82.9	89.3
2041	83.3	89.4
2042	83.6	89.5
2043	84	89.5
2044	84.3	89.6
2045	84.7	89.7
2046	85	89.7
2047	85.3	89.7
2048	85.6	89.8
2049	85.9	89.8
2050	86.2	89.8

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Algeria vs Western Sahara: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

Algeria vs Western Sahara

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