Burundi vs Zambia: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 25.7% in Burundi and 45.9% in Zambia, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 20.2 percentage points, or 1.79 times that in Burundi.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

BurundiZambiaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Zambia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Burundi ranked 215 and Zambia ranked 166 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Burundi at 44.2% and Zambia at 59.1% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Burundi	Zambia
2025	25.7	45.9
2024	24.8	45.5
2023	23.6	45
2022	22.3	44.6
2021	21.1	44.2
2020	19.9	43.9
2019	18.8	43.5
2018	17.7	43.1
2017	16.6	42.7
2016	15.6	42.3
2015	14.7	42
2014	13.8	41.6
2013	13	41.2
2012	12.2	40.8
2011	11.6	40.4
2010	11	40
2009	10.5	39.5
2008	10.1	39
2007	9.8	38.4
2006	9.5	37.8
2005	9.2	37.3
2004	8.9	36.8
2003	8.7	36.4
2002	8.5	36.1
2001	8.2	35.9
2000	8	35.9
1999	7.9	36.2
1998	7.7	36.7
1997	7.5	37.4
1996	7.3	38
1995	7.2	38.4
1994	7	38.7
1993	6.8	38.9
1992	6.6	39.1
1991	6.5	39.3
1990	6.3	39.4
1989	6.1	39.5
1988	5.9	39.5
1987	5.7	39.6
1986	5.5	39.7
1985	5.3	39.7
1984	5.1	39.8
1983	4.9	39.8
1982	4.7	39.9
1981	4.5	39.9
1980	4.3	39.9
1979	4.2	39.7
1978	4	39.3
1977	3.9	38.6
1976	3.7	37.8
1975	3.6	36.8
1974	3.4	35.7
1973	3.3	34.4
1972	3.1	33.2
1971	3	31.9
1970	2.9	30.7
1969	2.8	29.4
1968	2.6	28
1967	2.5	26.4
1966	2.4	24.6
1965	2.3	22.9
1964	2.2	21.3
1963	2.1	20.1
1962	2	19.1
1961	1.9	18.2
1960	1.8	17.2
1959	1.8	16.3
1958	1.7	15.5
1957	1.6	14.7
1956	1.5	14
1955	1.5	13.3
1954	1.4	12.7
1953	1.3	12.3
1952	1.3	11.9
1951	1.2	11.6
1950	1.2	11.5

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

Year	Burundi	Zambia
2026	26.5	46.4
2027	27.3	46.8
2028	28.1	47.3
2029	29	47.8
2030	29.8	48.2
2031	30.6	48.7
2032	31.3	49.2
2033	32.1	49.7
2034	32.9	50.2
2035	33.7	50.7
2036	34.4	51.2
2037	35.2	51.7
2038	35.9	52.3
2039	36.7	52.8
2040	37.4	53.3
2041	38.1	53.9
2042	38.8	54.4
2043	39.5	55
2044	40.2	55.5
2045	40.9	56.1
2046	41.6	56.7
2047	42.3	57.3
2048	42.9	57.9
2049	43.6	58.5
2050	44.2	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

Burundi vs Zambia: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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