Madagascar vs Zambia: Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents

Madagascar
3.52 million people
in 2020
Zambia
2.99 million people
in 2020
Madagascar rank
69th
Zambia rank
72nd

Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents over time

  • Madagascar
  • Zambia
01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M195019852020

How they compare

Madagascar currently reports 3.52 million people against 2.99 million people in Zambia, a difference of 532,490 people.

That makes Madagascar's figure about 1.2 times Zambia's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 13 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Zambia ahead.

Madagascar ranks 69th and Zambia ranks 72nd of 182 countries.

Madagascar has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Madagascar Zambia Difference Ahead
1960s 0 people 0 people 0 people
1970s 0 people 0 people 0 people
1980s 0 people 0 people 0 people
1990s 0 people 0 people 0 people
2000s 1.26 million people 1.23 million people 25,575 people Madagascar
2010s 2.26 million people 2.11 million people 148,145 people Madagascar
2020s 3.52 million people 2.99 million people 532,490 people Madagascar

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents, Madagascar or Zambia?
Madagascar, at 3.52 million people against 2.99 million people in Zambia as of 2020.
What is the difference in number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents between Madagascar and Zambia?
532,490 people, with Madagascar ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Madagascar and Zambia?
13 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2020.
How do Madagascar and Zambia rank globally for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Madagascar ranks 69th and Zambia ranks 72nd of 182 countries.
Where does this data come from?
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
people
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
182 places, 2,532 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.