Morocco vs Western Sahara: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 63.1% in Morocco and 86.9% in Western Sahara, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Western Sahara, by 23.7 percentage points, or 1.38 times that in Morocco.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

MoroccoWestern SaharaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Western Sahara has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Morocco ranked 122 and Western Sahara ranked 47 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Morocco at 76.5% and Western Sahara at 89.8% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Morocco	Western Sahara
2025	63.1	86.9
2024	62.8	86.8
2023	62.7	86.8
2022	62.5	86.8
2021	62.3	86.7
2020	62.1	86.7
2019	61.8	86.7
2018	61.6	86.6
2017	61.3	86.6
2016	61	86.6
2015	60.6	86.5
2014	60.3	86.5
2013	59.9	86.4
2012	59.4	86.4
2011	58.9	86.4
2010	58.3	86.3
2009	57.7	86.3
2008	57.1	86.3
2007	56.5	86.2
2006	56	86.2
2005	55.4	86.2
2004	55	86.1
2003	54.6	86.1
2002	54.2	86
2001	53.9	86
2000	53.6	85.9
1999	53.3	85.9
1998	53	85.8
1997	52.6	85.7
1996	52.2	85.6
1995	51.8	85.6
1994	51.2	85.5
1993	50.4	85.3
1992	49.8	85.2
1991	49.2	85
1990	48.4	84.7
1989	47.7	84.4
1988	47	84.1
1987	46.2	83.7
1986	45.4	83.3
1985	44.7	82.8
1984	44	82.3
1983	43.3	81.7
1982	42.6	81
1981	41.8	79.6
1980	41.1	77
1979	40.4	73.6
1978	39.7	69.6
1977	39	65.1
1976	38.3	60.5
1975	37.6	55.8
1974	37	51.4
1973	36.3	47.4
1972	35.7	44
1971	35	41.5
1970	34.5	39.9
1969	33.9	38.6
1968	33.3	37.3
1967	32.8	36
1966	32.2	34.9
1965	31.7	33.9
1964	31.2	33
1963	30.7	32.3
1962	30.2	31.7
1961	29.7	31.4
1960	29.4	31.2
1959	29.1	31.2
1958	28.8	31.1
1957	28.5	31.1
1956	28.2	31.1
1955	27.9	31.1
1954	27.5	31
1953	27.2	31
1952	26.8	31
1951	26.4	31
1950	25.9	31

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

Year	Morocco	Western Sahara
2026	63.5	87
2027	63.8	87.1
2028	64.2	87.3
2029	64.6	87.5
2030	65	87.8
2031	65.4	88
2032	65.9	88.3
2033	66.3	88.5
2034	66.8	88.6
2035	67.3	88.8
2036	67.8	88.9
2037	68.3	89
2038	68.9	89.1
2039	69.4	89.2
2040	70	89.3
2041	70.6	89.4
2042	71.2	89.5
2043	71.8	89.5
2044	72.4	89.6
2045	73.1	89.7
2046	73.7	89.7
2047	74.4	89.7
2048	75.1	89.8
2049	75.8	89.8
2050	76.5	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

Morocco vs Western Sahara: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

Morocco vs Western Sahara

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