South Sudan vs Zambia: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 21.7% in South Sudan and 45.9% in Zambia, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Zambia, by 24.2 percentage points, or 2.12 times that in South Sudan.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

South SudanZambiaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Zambia has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, South Sudan ranked 220 and Zambia ranked 166 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts South Sudan at 30.9% and Zambia at 59.1% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	South Sudan	Zambia
2025	21.7	45.9
2024	21.4	45.5
2023	21.1	45
2022	20.8	44.6
2021	20.5	44.2
2020	20.2	43.9
2019	19.9	43.5
2018	19.6	43.1
2017	19.4	42.7
2016	19.1	42.3
2015	18.8	42
2014	18.6	41.6
2013	18.3	41.2
2012	18	40.8
2011	17.8	40.4
2010	17.5	40
2009	17.3	39.5
2008	17	39
2007	17	38.4
2006	17	37.8
2005	16.9	37.3
2004	16.8	36.8
2003	16.6	36.4
2002	16.5	36.1
2001	16.3	35.9
2000	16	35.9
1999	15.8	36.2
1998	15.6	36.7
1997	15.3	37.4
1996	15	38
1995	14.7	38.4
1994	14.5	38.7
1993	14.2	38.9
1992	13.8	39.1
1991	13.3	39.3
1990	12.6	39.4
1989	11.9	39.5
1988	11.2	39.5
1987	10.4	39.6
1986	9.7	39.7
1985	9.2	39.7
1984	8.7	39.8
1983	8.5	39.8
1982	8.5	39.9
1981	8.5	39.9
1980	8.5	39.9
1979	8.5	39.7
1978	8.5	39.3
1977	8.5	38.6
1976	8.5	37.8
1975	8.5	36.8
1974	8.5	35.7
1973	8.5	34.4
1972	8.5	33.2
1971	8.5	31.9
1970	8.5	30.7
1969	8.5	29.4
1968	8.5	28
1967	8.5	26.4
1966	8.6	24.6
1965	8.6	22.9
1964	8.6	21.3
1963	8.6	20.1
1962	8.6	19.1
1961	8.6	18.2
1960	8.7	17.2
1959	8.7	16.3
1958	8.7	15.5
1957	8.7	14.7
1956	8.8	14
1955	8.8	13.3
1954	8.6	12.7
1953	8.3	12.3
1952	7.7	11.9
1951	7.1	11.6
1950	6.5	11.5

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

Year	South Sudan	Zambia
2026	22	46.4
2027	22.3	46.8
2028	22.6	47.3
2029	23	47.8
2030	23.3	48.2
2031	23.6	48.7
2032	24	49.2
2033	24.3	49.7
2034	24.7	50.2
2035	25	50.7
2036	25.4	51.2
2037	25.7	51.7
2038	26.1	52.3
2039	26.5	52.8
2040	26.9	53.3
2041	27.2	53.9
2042	27.6	54.4
2043	28	55
2044	28.4	55.5
2045	28.8	56.1
2046	29.2	56.7
2047	29.6	57.3
2048	30	57.9
2049	30.5	58.5
2050	30.9	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

South Sudan vs Zambia: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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