Share of population living in urban areas in Niger

Niger: Share of population living in urban areas was 49.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
49.4%
World rank
208th
of 236 countries
All-time high
51.5%
in 2010
All-time low
27.3%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Niger, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 27.3 %1955: 29.4 %1960: 31.3 %1965: 33.3 %1970: 35.3 %1975: 37.2 %1980: 39.2 %1985: 40.9 %1990: 44.2 %1995: 47.2 %2000: 50.1 %2005: 50.5 %2010: 51.5 %2015: 50.7 %2020: 49.4 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in urban areas in Niger stood at 49.4%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Niger peaked at 51.5% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 27.3%, in 1950.

Niger ranks 208th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 28.4% 27.3% 29.4% 2
1960s 32.3% 31.3% 33.3% 2
1970s 36.3% 35.3% 37.2% 2
1980s 40.0% 39.2% 40.9% 2
1990s 45.7% 44.2% 47.2% 2
2000s 50.3% 50.1% 50.5% 2
2010s 51.1% 50.7% 51.5% 2
2020s 49.4% 49.4% 49.4% 1

Countries ranked near Niger

  1. 205 Bosnia and Herzegovina 51.2% compare
  2. 206 Slovenia 50.3% compare
  3. 207 Mozambique 50.0% compare
  4. 209 Burkina Faso 49.4% compare
  5. 210 East Timor 49.4% compare
  6. 211 Mali 47.1% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Niger

All data for Niger →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Niger?
Share of population living in urban areas in Niger was 49.4% 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 areas recorded in Niger?
The highest recorded value was 51.5% in 2010.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Niger?
The lowest recorded value was 27.3% in 1950.
How does Niger rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Niger ranks 208th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Niger?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Niger 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 areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

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.