Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Western Sahara
Western Sahara: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 86.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
86.9%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
52nd
of 238 countries
All-time high
86.9%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Western Sahara, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Western Sahara is 86.9%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Western Sahara peaked at 86.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.
That places Western Sahara 52nd out of 238 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Western Sahara, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 | 0.0% | — |
| 1100 | 0.0% | +200.0% |
| 1200 | 0.0% | +200.0% |
| 1300 | 0.0% | +200.0% |
| 1400 | 0.0% | +200.0% |
| 1500 | 0.0% | +200.0% |
| 1600 | 0.0% | +200.0% |
| 1700 | 0.1% | +200.0% |
| 1710 | 0.1% | +46.4% |
| 1720 | 0.2% | +25.0% |
| 1730 | 0.2% | +25.0% |
| 1740 | 0.3% | +25.0% |
| 1750 | 0.4% | +25.0% |
| 1760 | 0.4% | +25.0% |
| 1770 | 0.6% | +25.0% |
| 1780 | 0.7% | +25.0% |
| 1790 | 0.9% | +25.0% |
| 1800 | 1.1% | +25.0% |
| 1810 | 1.4% | +25.0% |
| 1820 | 1.7% | +25.0% |
| 1830 | 2.1% | +25.0% |
| 1840 | 2.7% | +25.0% |
| 1850 | 3.3% | +25.0% |
| 1860 | 4.2% | +25.0% |
| 1870 | 5.2% | +25.0% |
| 1880 | 6.5% | +25.0% |
| 1890 | 8.1% | +25.0% |
| 1900 | 10.2% | +25.0% |
| 1910 | 12.7% | +25.0% |
| 1920 | 15.9% | +25.0% |
| 1930 | 19.8% | +25.0% |
| 1940 | 24.8% | +25.0% |
| 1950 | 31.0% | +25.0% |
| 1951 | 31.0% | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 31.0% | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 31.0% | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 31.0% | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 31.1% | +0.1% |
| 1956 | 31.1% | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 31.1% | +0.1% |
| 1958 | 31.1% | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 31.2% | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 31.2% | +0.1% |
| 1961 | 31.4% | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 31.7% | +1.2% |
| 1963 | 32.3% | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 33.0% | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 33.9% | +2.7% |
| 1966 | 34.9% | +3.0% |
| 1967 | 36.0% | +3.3% |
| 1968 | 37.3% | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 38.6% | +3.5% |
| 1970 | 39.9% | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 41.5% | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 44.0% | +6.0% |
| 1973 | 47.4% | +7.6% |
| 1974 | 51.4% | +8.5% |
| 1975 | 55.8% | +8.6% |
| 1976 | 60.5% | +8.4% |
| 1977 | 65.1% | +7.7% |
| 1978 | 69.6% | +6.8% |
| 1979 | 73.6% | +5.8% |
| 1980 | 77.0% | +4.6% |
| 1981 | 79.6% | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 81.0% | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 81.7% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 82.3% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 82.8% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 83.3% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 83.7% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 84.1% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 84.4% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 84.7% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 85.0% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 85.2% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 85.3% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 85.5% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 85.6% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 85.6% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 85.7% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 85.8% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 85.9% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 85.9% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 86.0% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 86.0% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 86.1% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 86.1% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 86.1% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 86.2% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 86.2% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 86.3% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 86.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 86.3% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 86.4% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 86.4% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 86.4% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 86.5% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 86.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 86.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 86.6% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 86.6% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 86.7% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 86.7% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 86.7% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 86.8% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 86.8% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 86.8% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 86.9% | +0.1% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Western Sahara changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1100 | +200.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1200 | +200.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1300 | +200.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1400 | +200.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1500 | +200.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1600 | +200.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1100s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1200s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1400s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1500s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1600s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1700s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
| 1710s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
| 1720s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 1730s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 1740s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
| 1750s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 1760s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 1770s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
| 1780s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
| 1800s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
| 1810s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1 |
| 1820s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1 |
| 1830s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1 |
| 1840s | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 1 |
| 1850s | 3.3% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 1 |
| 1860s | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 1 |
| 1870s | 5.2% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 1 |
| 1880s | 6.5% | 6.5% | 6.5% | 1 |
| 1890s | 8.1% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 1 |
| 1900s | 10.2% | 10.2% | 10.2% | 1 |
| 1910s | 12.7% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 1 |
| 1920s | 15.9% | 15.9% | 15.9% | 1 |
| 1930s | 19.8% | 19.8% | 19.8% | 1 |
| 1940s | 24.8% | 24.8% | 24.8% | 1 |
| 1950s | 31.1% | 31.0% | 31.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 34.0% | 31.2% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 54.9% | 39.9% | 73.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 82.0% | 77.0% | 84.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 85.4% | 84.7% | 85.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 86.1% | 85.9% | 86.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.5% | 86.3% | 86.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.8% | 86.7% | 86.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Western Sahara
- 49 Australia 87.7% compare
- 50 Belgium 87.7% compare
- 51 Palestine 87.4% compare
- 53 French Guiana 86.6% compare
- 54 United Arab Emirates 86.0% compare
- 55 Switzerland 85.7% compare
More reference data data for Western Sahara
- Free country 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 7 (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exposure to extreme temperature — Annual temperature change 1.35 Degrees celsius (2023)
- Land area in hectares 26.60 million hectares (2023)
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures 5.00 million hectares (2023)
- Average age of mothers at childbirth 29.99 years (2023)
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Western Sahara?
- Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Western Sahara was 86.9% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Western Sahara?
- The highest recorded value was 86.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Western Sahara?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
- How does Western Sahara rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
- Western Sahara ranks 52nd out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
- Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Western Sahara?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Western Sahara data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modeled historical data.