Share of population living in urban areas in Senegal

Senegal: Share of population living in urban areas was 69.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
69.9%
World rank
144th
of 236 countries
All-time high
70.1%
in 2015
All-time low
52.5%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

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

0204060801950198520201950: 52.5 %1955: 54.7 %1960: 57.3 %1965: 59.9 %1970: 62.6 %1975: 65.2 %1980: 65.1 %1985: 64.7 %1990: 64.6 %1995: 66.2 %2000: 68 %2005: 68.5 %2010: 69.2 %2015: 70.1 %2020: 69.9 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in Senegal is 69.9%, measured in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 141 Portugal 70.5% compare
  2. 142 Mongolia 70.5% compare
  3. 143 French Guiana 70.1% compare
  4. 145 Uganda 69.6% compare
  5. 146 Myanmar 69.4% compare
  6. 147 Botswana 69.2% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Senegal

All data for Senegal →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Senegal?
Share of population living in urban 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 areas recorded in Senegal?
The highest recorded value was 70.1% in 2015.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Senegal?
The lowest recorded value was 52.5% in 1950.
How does Senegal rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Senegal ranks 144th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban 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 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.