Population in the largest city in Zambia
Zambia: Population in the largest city was 34.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population in the largest city in Zambia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in the largest city in Zambia is 34.5%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Zambia peaked at 34.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 18.0%, in 1962.
Zambia ranks 60th of 153 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 18.2% | — |
| 1961 | 18.1% | -0.7% |
| 1962 | 18.0% | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 18.1% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 18.6% | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 18.9% | +1.8% |
| 1966 | 19.2% | +1.5% |
| 1967 | 19.6% | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 20.1% | +2.7% |
| 1969 | 20.9% | +4.0% |
| 1970 | 21.0% | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 20.9% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 20.9% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 20.8% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 20.9% | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 21.0% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 21.1% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 21.4% | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 21.8% | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 22.3% | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 23.0% | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 23.2% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 23.3% | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 23.3% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 23.5% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 23.6% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 23.8% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 23.9% | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 24.2% | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 24.4% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 24.7% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 25.0% | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 25.4% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 25.8% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 26.3% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 26.7% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 27.3% | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 28.0% | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 28.7% | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 29.4% | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 29.9% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 30.3% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 30.6% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 30.9% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 31.0% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 31.1% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 31.0% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 30.9% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 30.9% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 30.8% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 30.9% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 31.0% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 31.2% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 31.4% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 31.6% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 31.8% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 32.0% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 32.3% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 32.6% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 32.9% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 33.2% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 33.5% | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 33.8% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 34.1% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 34.3% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 34.5% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 19.0% | 18.0% | 20.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 21.2% | 20.8% | 22.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.6% | 23.0% | 24.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 26.7% | 24.7% | 29.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 30.7% | 29.9% | 31.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.8% | 30.9% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.9% | 33.2% | 34.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 57 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 34.9% compare
- 58 Senegal 34.7% compare
- 59 Myanmar 34.7% compare
- 61 Serbia 34.4% compare
- 62 Sierra Leone 34.3% compare
- 63 Côte d'Ivoire 33.9% compare
More urban development data for Zambia
- Population density 27.88 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 20.24 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.1584 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 3.47 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 4.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 4.28 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 3.47 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.1 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 83.1 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Zambia?
- Population in the largest city in Zambia was 34.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 34.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.0% in 1962.
- How does Zambia rank for population in the largest city?
- Zambia ranks 60th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.