Population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Population in cities over 1 million — Eastern Africa

Population in cities over 1 million in Eastern Africa in 2025 — 45,668,019 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 1,952.2%.

2025 45.67M people +4.35% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 45.67M people2025
Period minimum 2.23M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population in cities over 1 million — Eastern Africa, 1960–2025020M40M60M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 2,225,313 people1962: 2,497,140 people1964: 2,797,247 people1966: 3,152,369 people1968: 3,591,406 people1970: 4,097,413 people1972: 4,619,262 people1974: 5,193,139 people1976: 5,794,352 people1978: 6,453,295 people1980: 7,114,454 people1982: 7,782,447 people1984: 8,598,889 people1986: 9,463,421 people1988: 10,417,510 people1990: 11,436,050 people1992: 12,506,656 people1994: 13,507,684 people1996: 14,500,555 people1998: 15,549,491 people2000: 16,627,806 people2002: 17,822,162 people2004: 19,116,788 people2006: 20,560,104 people2008: 21,860,082 people2010: 23,873,258 people2012: 26,083,785 people2014: 28,502,369 people2016: 31,183,794 people2018: 34,040,183 people2020: 36,969,830 people2022: 40,201,014 people2024: 43,762,331 people2025: 45,668,019 people
Change over the period: +43.44M (+1,952.21%) Average annual rate: 4.76 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Eastern Africa

Eastern Africa 45.67M people
World computed 2.01B people
Population in cities over 1 million — Eastern Africa, by year Eastern Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 45.67M +1.91M +4.35%
2024 43.76M +1.82M +4.34%
2023 41.94M +1.74M +4.33%
2022 40.2M +1.66M +4.3%
2021 38.55M +1.58M +4.26%
2020 36.97M +1.5M +4.23%
2019 35.47M +1.43M +4.2%
2018 34.04M +1.41M +4.32%
2017 32.63M +1.45M +4.64%
2016 31.18M +1.38M +4.61%
2015 29.81M +1.31M +4.58%
2014 28.5M +1.24M +4.55%
2013 27.26M +1.18M +4.52%
2012 26.08M +1.12M +4.49%
2011 24.96M +1.09M +4.56%
2010 23.87M +1.03M +4.52%
2009 22.84M +979,771 +4.48%
2008 21.86M +931,085 +4.45%
2007 20.93M +368,893 +1.79%
2006 20.56M +757,373 +3.82%
2005 19.8M +685,943 +3.59%
2004 19.12M +659,294 +3.57%
2003 18.46M +635,332 +3.56%
2002 17.82M +627,542 +3.65%
2001 17.19M +566,814 +3.41%
2000 16.63M +539,582 +3.35%
1999 16.09M +538,733 +3.46%
1998 15.55M +525,033 +3.49%
1997 15.02M +523,903 +3.61%
1996 14.5M +501,769 +3.58%
1995 14M +491,102 +3.64%
1994 13.51M +499,109 +3.84%
1993 13.01M +501,919 +4.01%
1992 12.51M +520,772 +4.34%
1991 11.99M +549,834 +4.81%
1990 11.44M +522,527 +4.79%
1989 10.91M +496,013 +4.76%
1988 10.42M +487,550 +4.91%
1987 9.93M +466,539 +4.93%
1986 9.46M +443,483 +4.92%
1985 9.02M +421,049 +4.9%
1984 8.6M +419,753 +5.13%
1983 8.18M +396,689 +5.1%
1982 7.78M +340,649 +4.58%
1981 7.44M +327,344 +4.6%
1980 7.11M +337,512 +4.98%
1979 6.78M +323,647 +5.02%
1978 6.45M +337,959 +5.53%
1977 6.12M +320,984 +5.54%
1976 5.79M +301,588 +5.49%
1975 5.49M +299,625 +5.77%
1974 5.19M +290,650 +5.93%
1973 4.9M +283,227 +6.13%
1972 4.62M +268,420 +6.17%
1971 4.35M +253,429 +6.19%
1970 4.1M +247,089 +6.42%
1969 3.85M +258,918 +7.21%
1968 3.59M +237,614 +7.08%
1967 3.35M +201,423 +6.39%
1966 3.15M +184,352 +6.21%
1965 2.97M +170,770 +6.1%
1964 2.8M +156,697 +5.93%
1963 2.64M +143,410 +5.74%
1962 2.5M +140,702 +5.97%
1961 2.36M +131,125 +5.89%
1960 2.23M

About the indicator

The population of urban agglomerations with more than one million residents. The unit of count is the agglomeration, not the city within its administrative boundaries, and that is essential: along administrative lines many of the largest concentrations of people break up into dozens of municipalities. The indicator measures not urbanization as such but its concentration in large centers — a country can be highly urbanized without a single million-plus city.

Important: The table covers about 120 territories — the rest have no agglomerations of this size, and that is a zero, not a gap. Aggregates for groups of countries are therefore calculated at a lowered coverage threshold.

Source: World Population Prospects (UN), license CC BY 3.0 IGO.