Ethiopia vs Zambia: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 24.1% in Ethiopia and 45.9% in Zambia, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 21.8 percentage points, or 1.9 times that in Ethiopia.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

EthiopiaZambiaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Zambia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Ethiopia ranked 217 and Zambia ranked 166 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Ethiopia at 33.9% and Zambia at 59.1% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Ethiopia	Zambia
2025	24.1	45.9
2024	23.6	45.5
2023	23.1	45
2022	22.7	44.6
2021	22.1	44.2
2020	21.6	43.9
2019	21.3	43.5
2018	20.8	43.1
2017	20.3	42.7
2016	19.9	42.3
2015	19.5	42
2014	19	41.6
2013	18.6	41.2
2012	18.2	40.8
2011	17.9	40.4
2010	17.5	40
2009	17.2	39.5
2008	16.8	39
2007	16.1	38.4
2006	16.2	37.8
2005	16	37.3
2004	15.8	36.8
2003	15.5	36.4
2002	15.3	36.1
2001	15.1	35.9
2000	14.9	35.9
1999	14.7	36.2
1998	14.5	36.7
1997	14.3	37.4
1996	14.1	38
1995	13.9	38.4
1994	13.7	38.7
1993	13.5	38.9
1992	13.3	39.1
1991	13	39.3
1990	12.8	39.4
1989	12.5	39.5
1988	12.2	39.5
1987	11.9	39.6
1986	11.7	39.7
1985	11.4	39.7
1984	11.2	39.8
1983	11	39.8
1982	10.8	39.9
1981	10.6	39.9
1980	10.4	39.9
1979	10.2	39.7
1978	10	39.3
1977	9.8	38.6
1976	9.6	37.8
1975	9.4	36.8
1974	9.2	35.7
1973	9.1	34.4
1972	8.9	33.2
1971	8.7	31.9
1970	8.6	30.7
1969	8.4	29.4
1968	8.3	28
1967	8.1	26.4
1966	8	24.6
1965	7.8	22.9
1964	7.7	21.3
1963	7.5	20.1
1962	7.4	19.1
1961	7.2	18.2
1960	7.1	17.2
1959	7	16.3
1958	6.8	15.5
1957	6.7	14.7
1956	6.6	14
1955	6.5	13.3
1954	6.4	12.7
1953	6.3	12.3
1952	6.1	11.9
1951	6	11.6
1950	5.9	11.5

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

Year	Ethiopia	Zambia
2026	24.6	46.4
2027	25.1	46.8
2028	25.6	47.3
2029	26	47.8
2030	26.5	48.2
2031	27	48.7
2032	27.4	49.2
2033	27.9	49.7
2034	28.3	50.2
2035	28.7	50.7
2036	29.2	51.2
2037	29.6	51.7
2038	30	52.3
2039	30.4	52.8
2040	30.8	53.3
2041	31.1	53.9
2042	31.5	54.4
2043	31.8	55
2044	32.2	55.5
2045	32.5	56.1
2046	32.8	56.7
2047	33.1	57.3
2048	33.4	57.9
2049	33.6	58.5
2050	33.9	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

Ethiopia vs Zambia: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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