Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Senegal
Senegal: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 69.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Senegal, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Senegal recorded 69.9% for share of population living in urban and rural areas in 2020.
That represents a change of up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Senegal peaked at 70.1% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 52.5%, in 1950.
That places Senegal 144th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Senegal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 52.5% | — |
| 1955 | 54.7% | +4.4% |
| 1960 | 57.3% | +4.6% |
| 1965 | 59.9% | +4.5% |
| 1970 | 62.6% | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 65.2% | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 65.1% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 64.7% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 64.6% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 66.2% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 68.0% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 68.5% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 69.2% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 70.1% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 69.9% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 53.6% | 52.5% | 54.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 58.6% | 57.3% | 59.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 63.9% | 62.6% | 65.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 64.9% | 64.7% | 65.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 65.4% | 64.6% | 66.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 68.3% | 68.0% | 68.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 69.6% | 69.2% | 70.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 69.9% | 69.9% | 69.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
More reference data data for Senegal
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2247 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1649 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7534 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5106 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 17.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 20.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.8979 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Senegal?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Senegal was 69.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 70.1% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.5% in 1950.
- How does Senegal rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Senegal ranks 144th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Senegal data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.