Nigeria vs Zambia: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 63.8% in Nigeria and 45.9% in Zambia, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Nigeria, by 17.9 percentage points, or 1.39 times that in Zambia.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

NigeriaZambiaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Nigeria has been higher since 1995, when it overtook Zambia.
In 2025, Nigeria ranked 119 and Zambia ranked 166 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Nigeria at 83.4% and Zambia at 59.1% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Nigeria	Zambia
2025	63.8	45.9
2024	63	45.5
2023	62.2	45
2022	61.4	44.6
2021	60.6	44.2
2020	59.8	43.9
2019	59	43.5
2018	58.2	43.1
2017	57.4	42.7
2016	56.5	42.3
2015	55.7	42
2014	54.9	41.6
2013	54.1	41.2
2012	53.3	40.8
2011	52.5	40.4
2010	51.7	40
2009	50.9	39.5
2008	50.1	39
2007	49.2	38.4
2006	48.4	37.8
2005	47.6	37.3
2004	46.7	36.8
2003	45.8	36.4
2002	45	36.1
2001	44.1	35.9
2000	43.3	35.9
1999	42.4	36.2
1998	41.6	36.7
1997	40.8	37.4
1996	40	38
1995	39.1	38.4
1994	38.3	38.7
1993	37.5	38.9
1992	36.8	39.1
1991	36	39.3
1990	35.2	39.4
1989	34.4	39.5
1988	33.6	39.5
1987	32.8	39.6
1986	32.1	39.7
1985	31.3	39.7
1984	30.5	39.8
1983	29.7	39.8
1982	29	39.9
1981	28.2	39.9
1980	27.4	39.9
1979	26.7	39.7
1978	25.9	39.3
1977	25.2	38.6
1976	24.4	37.8
1975	23.7	36.8
1974	23	35.7
1973	22.3	34.4
1972	21.6	33.2
1971	20.9	31.9
1970	20.2	30.7
1969	19.6	29.4
1968	18.9	28
1967	18.3	26.4
1966	17.7	24.6
1965	17.1	22.9
1964	16.5	21.3
1963	15.9	20.1
1962	15.4	19.1
1961	14.8	18.2
1960	14.2	17.2
1959	13.7	16.3
1958	13.2	15.5
1957	12.7	14.7
1956	12.2	14
1955	11.7	13.3
1954	11.3	12.7
1953	11	12.3
1952	10.7	11.9
1951	10.4	11.6
1950	10.1	11.5

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

Year	Nigeria	Zambia
2026	64.6	46.4
2027	65.4	46.8
2028	66.2	47.3
2029	67	47.8
2030	67.8	48.2
2031	68.6	48.7
2032	69.3	49.2
2033	70.1	49.7
2034	70.9	50.2
2035	71.7	50.7
2036	72.5	51.2
2037	73.3	51.7
2038	74.1	52.3
2039	74.9	52.8
2040	75.6	53.3
2041	76.4	53.9
2042	77.2	54.4
2043	78	55
2044	78.8	55.5
2045	79.5	56.1
2046	80.3	56.7
2047	81.1	57.3
2048	81.8	57.9
2049	82.6	58.5
2050	83.4	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

Nigeria vs Zambia: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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