Burkina Faso vs Zambia: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 28.9% in Burkina Faso and 45.9% in Zambia, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 17 percentage points, or 1.59 times that in Burkina Faso.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

Burkina FasoZambiaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Zambia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Burkina Faso ranked 208 and Zambia ranked 166 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Burkina Faso at 54.9% and Zambia at 59.1% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Burkina Faso	Zambia
2025	28.9	45.9
2024	28.3	45.5
2023	27.8	45
2022	27.3	44.6
2021	26.8	44.2
2020	26.4	43.9
2019	26.1	43.5
2018	26.1	43.1
2017	26	42.7
2016	25.8	42.3
2015	25.6	42
2014	25.4	41.6
2013	25.1	41.2
2012	24.8	40.8
2011	24.5	40.4
2010	24.1	40
2009	23.8	39.5
2008	23.4	39
2007	23	38.4
2006	22.6	37.8
2005	22	37.3
2004	21.3	36.8
2003	20.6	36.4
2002	19.7	36.1
2001	18.9	35.9
2000	18	35.9
1999	17.2	36.2
1998	16.4	36.7
1997	15.8	37.4
1996	15.3	38
1995	14.9	38.4
1994	14.5	38.7
1993	14.2	38.9
1992	13.8	39.1
1991	13.5	39.3
1990	13.2	39.4
1989	12.9	39.5
1988	12.6	39.5
1987	12.3	39.6
1986	11.9	39.7
1985	11.5	39.7
1984	11	39.8
1983	10.4	39.8
1982	9.7	39.9
1981	9.1	39.9
1980	8.4	39.9
1979	7.8	39.7
1978	7.3	39.3
1977	6.8	38.6
1976	6.5	37.8
1975	6.4	36.8
1974	6.3	35.7
1973	6.2	34.4
1972	6.1	33.2
1971	6	31.9
1970	5.9	30.7
1969	5.8	29.4
1968	5.7	28
1967	5.6	26.4
1966	5.5	24.6
1965	5.5	22.9
1964	5.4	21.3
1963	5.3	20.1
1962	5.2	19.1
1961	5.1	18.2
1960	5	17.2
1959	5	16.3
1958	4.9	15.5
1957	4.8	14.7
1956	4.7	14
1955	4.7	13.3
1954	4.6	12.7
1953	4.5	12.3
1952	4.4	11.9
1951	4.4	11.6
1950	4.3	11.5

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

Year	Burkina Faso	Zambia
2026	29.6	46.4
2027	30.2	46.8
2028	30.9	47.3
2029	31.7	47.8
2030	32.4	48.2
2031	33.3	48.7
2032	34.1	49.2
2033	35	49.7
2034	35.9	50.2
2035	36.9	50.7
2036	37.8	51.2
2037	38.9	51.7
2038	39.9	52.3
2039	41	52.8
2040	42.1	53.3
2041	43.3	53.9
2042	44.4	54.4
2043	45.7	55
2044	46.9	55.5
2045	48.2	56.1
2046	49.5	56.7
2047	50.8	57.3
2048	52.1	57.9
2049	53.5	58.5
2050	54.9	59.1

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

Burkina Faso vs Zambia: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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