Namibia vs Western Sahara: Urban area over the long-term

Namibia
563.77 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Western Sahara
526.56 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Namibia rank
119th
Western Sahara rank
122nd

Urban area over the long-term over time

  • Namibia
  • Western Sahara
0200400600100015122025

How they compare

Namibia currently reports 563.77 km² per grid cell against 526.56 km² per grid cell in Western Sahara, a difference of 37.21 km² per grid cell.

That makes Namibia's figure about 1.1 times Western Sahara's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Namibia ahead.

Namibia ranks 119th and Western Sahara ranks 122nd of 202 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, Namibia averaged higher in 34 and Western Sahara in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade Namibia Western Sahara Difference Ahead
1000s 0.0006 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 0.0006 km² per grid cell Namibia
1100s 0.002 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 0.002 km² per grid cell Namibia
1200s 0.0064 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 0.0064 km² per grid cell Namibia
1300s 0.0205 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 0.0205 km² per grid cell Namibia
1400s 0.066 km² per grid cell 0.0001 km² per grid cell 0.0659 km² per grid cell Namibia
1500s 0.2127 km² per grid cell 0.0003 km² per grid cell 0.2124 km² per grid cell Namibia
1600s 0.6854 km² per grid cell 0.0016 km² per grid cell 0.6839 km² per grid cell Namibia
1700s 2.21 km² per grid cell 0.007 km² per grid cell 2.2 km² per grid cell Namibia
1710s 2.45 km² per grid cell 0.0103 km² per grid cell 2.44 km² per grid cell Namibia
1720s 2.64 km² per grid cell 0.0129 km² per grid cell 2.62 km² per grid cell Namibia
1730s 2.84 km² per grid cell 0.0162 km² per grid cell 2.82 km² per grid cell Namibia
1740s 3.06 km² per grid cell 0.0204 km² per grid cell 3.04 km² per grid cell Namibia
1750s 3.29 km² per grid cell 0.0255 km² per grid cell 3.26 km² per grid cell Namibia
1760s 3.54 km² per grid cell 0.032 km² per grid cell 3.51 km² per grid cell Namibia
1770s 3.81 km² per grid cell 0.0402 km² per grid cell 3.77 km² per grid cell Namibia
1780s 4.09 km² per grid cell 0.0504 km² per grid cell 4.04 km² per grid cell Namibia
1790s 4.4 km² per grid cell 0.0632 km² per grid cell 4.34 km² per grid cell Namibia
1800s 4.73 km² per grid cell 0.0793 km² per grid cell 4.65 km² per grid cell Namibia
1810s 5.08 km² per grid cell 0.0994 km² per grid cell 4.98 km² per grid cell Namibia
1820s 5.45 km² per grid cell 0.1253 km² per grid cell 5.33 km² per grid cell Namibia
1830s 5.85 km² per grid cell 0.1579 km² per grid cell 5.69 km² per grid cell Namibia
1840s 6.28 km² per grid cell 0.1991 km² per grid cell 6.08 km² per grid cell Namibia
1850s 6.73 km² per grid cell 0.2507 km² per grid cell 6.48 km² per grid cell Namibia
1860s 8.15 km² per grid cell 0.3151 km² per grid cell 7.83 km² per grid cell Namibia
1870s 9.87 km² per grid cell 0.3976 km² per grid cell 9.47 km² per grid cell Namibia
1880s 11.95 km² per grid cell 0.4914 km² per grid cell 11.46 km² per grid cell Namibia
1890s 14.45 km² per grid cell 0.5811 km² per grid cell 13.86 km² per grid cell Namibia
1900s 17.35 km² per grid cell 0.6413 km² per grid cell 16.71 km² per grid cell Namibia
1910s 21.65 km² per grid cell 0.6595 km² per grid cell 20.99 km² per grid cell Namibia
1920s 25.16 km² per grid cell 1.28 km² per grid cell 23.88 km² per grid cell Namibia
1930s 27.84 km² per grid cell 2.55 km² per grid cell 25.29 km² per grid cell Namibia
1940s 27.94 km² per grid cell 5.39 km² per grid cell 22.55 km² per grid cell Namibia
1950s 32.33 km² per grid cell 17.92 km² per grid cell 14.41 km² per grid cell Namibia
1960s 45.61 km² per grid cell 50.91 km² per grid cell 5.3 km² per grid cell Western Sahara
1970s 69.43 km² per grid cell 140.03 km² per grid cell 70.6 km² per grid cell Western Sahara
1980s 103 km² per grid cell 307.98 km² per grid cell 204.98 km² per grid cell Western Sahara
1990s 170.92 km² per grid cell 350.47 km² per grid cell 179.55 km² per grid cell Western Sahara
2000s 263.67 km² per grid cell 359.54 km² per grid cell 95.87 km² per grid cell Western Sahara
2010s 404.7 km² per grid cell 452.2 km² per grid cell 47.51 km² per grid cell Western Sahara
2020s 525.32 km² per grid cell 513.02 km² per grid cell 12.3 km² per grid cell Namibia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Namibia or Western Sahara?
Namibia, at 563.77 km² per grid cell against 526.56 km² per grid cell in Western Sahara as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Namibia and Western Sahara?
37.21 km² per grid cell, with Namibia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Namibia and Western Sahara?
108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do Namibia and Western Sahara rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
Namibia ranks 119th and Western Sahara ranks 122nd 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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Namibia vs Western Sahara: 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/namibia/western-sahara/

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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.