Benin vs Zambia: Urban area over the long-term

Benin
1,225 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Zambia
1,407 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Benin rank
86th
Zambia rank
83rd

Urban area over the long-term over time

  • Benin
  • Zambia
05001.0k1.5k100015122025

How they compare

Zambia currently reports 1,407 km² per grid cell against 1,225 km² per grid cell in Benin, a difference of 182 km² per grid cell.

That makes Zambia's figure about 1.1 times Benin's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Benin ahead.

Benin ranks 86th and Zambia ranks 83rd of 202 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, Benin averaged higher in 8 and Zambia in 32.

Head to head by decade

Decade Benin Zambia Difference Ahead
1000s 0.0008 km² per grid cell 0.0004 km² per grid cell 0.0004 km² per grid cell Benin
1100s 0.0026 km² per grid cell 0.0013 km² per grid cell 0.0013 km² per grid cell Benin
1200s 0.0088 km² per grid cell 0.0045 km² per grid cell 0.0043 km² per grid cell Benin
1300s 0.0303 km² per grid cell 0.0155 km² per grid cell 0.0148 km² per grid cell Benin
1400s 0.1022 km² per grid cell 0.0523 km² per grid cell 0.0498 km² per grid cell Benin
1500s 0.3405 km² per grid cell 0.1744 km² per grid cell 0.1662 km² per grid cell Benin
1600s 1.06 km² per grid cell 0.5675 km² per grid cell 0.4881 km² per grid cell Benin
1700s 3.3 km² per grid cell 3.11 km² per grid cell 0.1905 km² per grid cell Benin
1710s 2.96 km² per grid cell 3.86 km² per grid cell 0.9055 km² per grid cell Zambia
1720s 3.31 km² per grid cell 4.62 km² per grid cell 1.31 km² per grid cell Zambia
1730s 3.71 km² per grid cell 5.5 km² per grid cell 1.78 km² per grid cell Zambia
1740s 4.16 km² per grid cell 6.49 km² per grid cell 2.33 km² per grid cell Zambia
1750s 4.66 km² per grid cell 7.63 km² per grid cell 2.97 km² per grid cell Zambia
1760s 5.22 km² per grid cell 8.92 km² per grid cell 3.7 km² per grid cell Zambia
1770s 5.85 km² per grid cell 10.39 km² per grid cell 4.54 km² per grid cell Zambia
1780s 6.55 km² per grid cell 12.06 km² per grid cell 5.51 km² per grid cell Zambia
1790s 7.34 km² per grid cell 13.96 km² per grid cell 6.62 km² per grid cell Zambia
1800s 8.23 km² per grid cell 16.1 km² per grid cell 7.88 km² per grid cell Zambia
1810s 9.22 km² per grid cell 18.53 km² per grid cell 9.31 km² per grid cell Zambia
1820s 9.87 km² per grid cell 21.27 km² per grid cell 11.4 km² per grid cell Zambia
1830s 10.58 km² per grid cell 24.37 km² per grid cell 13.79 km² per grid cell Zambia
1840s 11.34 km² per grid cell 27.87 km² per grid cell 16.53 km² per grid cell Zambia
1850s 12.14 km² per grid cell 31.81 km² per grid cell 19.67 km² per grid cell Zambia
1860s 13.01 km² per grid cell 35.18 km² per grid cell 22.17 km² per grid cell Zambia
1870s 15.17 km² per grid cell 38.8 km² per grid cell 23.63 km² per grid cell Zambia
1880s 17.7 km² per grid cell 42.96 km² per grid cell 25.27 km² per grid cell Zambia
1890s 20.64 km² per grid cell 48.42 km² per grid cell 27.78 km² per grid cell Zambia
1900s 24.06 km² per grid cell 51.92 km² per grid cell 27.86 km² per grid cell Zambia
1910s 27.99 km² per grid cell 51.92 km² per grid cell 23.93 km² per grid cell Zambia
1920s 32.18 km² per grid cell 51.92 km² per grid cell 19.74 km² per grid cell Zambia
1930s 35.32 km² per grid cell 51.92 km² per grid cell 16.6 km² per grid cell Zambia
1940s 35.32 km² per grid cell 51.92 km² per grid cell 16.6 km² per grid cell Zambia
1950s 36.97 km² per grid cell 59.64 km² per grid cell 22.67 km² per grid cell Zambia
1960s 55.71 km² per grid cell 111.26 km² per grid cell 55.55 km² per grid cell Zambia
1970s 106.39 km² per grid cell 227.72 km² per grid cell 121.33 km² per grid cell Zambia
1980s 199.64 km² per grid cell 375.17 km² per grid cell 175.53 km² per grid cell Zambia
1990s 351.34 km² per grid cell 498.75 km² per grid cell 147.41 km² per grid cell Zambia
2000s 546.79 km² per grid cell 658.5 km² per grid cell 111.72 km² per grid cell Zambia
2010s 806.45 km² per grid cell 932.28 km² per grid cell 125.82 km² per grid cell Zambia
2020s 1,128 km² per grid cell 1,282 km² per grid cell 153.96 km² per grid cell Zambia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Benin or Zambia?
Zambia, at 1,407 km² per grid cell against 1,225 km² per grid cell in Benin as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Benin and Zambia?
182 km² per grid cell, with Zambia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Benin and Zambia?
108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do Benin and Zambia rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
Benin ranks 86th and Zambia ranks 83rd of 202 countries.
Where does this data come from?
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Benin vs Zambia: Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid, drawing on HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/urban-area-long-term/benin/zambia/

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About this data

Indicator
Urban area over the long-term
Unit
km² per grid cell
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,816 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Total built-up area of a country over time.