Panama vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Population in the largest city
Panama
67.9%
in 2025
Sub-Saharan Africa
25.4%
in 2025
Panama rank
10th
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
9th
Population in the largest city over time
- Panama
- Sub-Saharan Africa
How they compare
Panama currently reports 67.9% against 25.4% in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 42.5%.
That makes Panama's figure about 2.7 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Panama has been ahead every year.
Panama ranks 10th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 9th of 153 countries.
Panama has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Panama | Sub-Saharan Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 61.7% | 24.2% | 37.5% | Panama |
| 1970s | 62.8% | 26.3% | 36.5% | Panama |
| 1980s | 63.6% | 26.8% | 36.8% | Panama |
| 1990s | 64.2% | 26.9% | 37.4% | Panama |
| 2000s | 64.0% | 26.0% | 38.0% | Panama |
| 2010s | 64.4% | 25.2% | 39.2% | Panama |
| 2020s | 67.0% | 25.3% | 41.7% | Panama |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in the largest city, Panama or Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Panama, at 67.9% against 25.4% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in the largest city between Panama and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 42.5%, with Panama ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Panama and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Panama and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for population in the largest city?
- Panama ranks 10th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 9th of 153 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.