Population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Population in cities over 1 million — Middle Africa

Population in cities over 1 million in Middle Africa in 2025 — 52,549,057 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 3,014.9%.

2025 52.55M people +4.04% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 52.55M people2025
Period minimum 1.69M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population in cities over 1 million — Middle Africa, 1960–2025020M40M60M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 1,687,015 people1962: 1,957,277 people1964: 2,260,670 people1966: 2,631,611 people1968: 3,048,993 people1970: 3,486,106 people1972: 3,922,452 people1974: 4,417,413 people1976: 4,978,150 people1978: 5,576,179 people1980: 6,219,880 people1982: 6,941,096 people1984: 7,770,953 people1986: 8,626,232 people1988: 9,551,523 people1990: 10,568,820 people1992: 11,701,301 people1994: 12,941,841 people1996: 14,303,153 people1998: 15,800,248 people2000: 17,350,583 people2002: 19,055,561 people2004: 20,936,363 people2006: 23,008,175 people2008: 25,293,249 people2010: 27,811,983 people2012: 30,591,219 people2014: 33,631,927 people2016: 36,580,226 people2018: 39,791,514 people2020: 43,076,028 people2022: 46,643,508 people2024: 50,506,828 people2025: 52,549,057 people
Change over the period: +50.86M (+3,014.91%) Average annual rate: 5.43 %

Comparison, 2025

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

Middle Africa 52.55M people
World computed 2.01B people
Population in cities over 1 million — Middle Africa, by year Middle Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 52.55M +2.04M +4.04%
2024 50.51M +1.97M +4.06%
2023 48.54M +1.89M +4.06%
2022 46.64M +1.82M +4.06%
2021 44.82M +1.75M +4.06%
2020 43.08M +1.68M +4.05%
2019 41.4M +1.61M +4.04%
2018 39.79M +1.64M +4.3%
2017 38.15M +1.57M +4.29%
2016 36.58M +1.51M +4.29%
2015 35.07M +1.44M +4.29%
2014 33.63M +1.55M +4.82%
2013 32.09M +1.49M +4.89%
2012 30.59M +1.42M +4.88%
2011 29.17M +1.36M +4.87%
2010 27.81M +1.29M +4.87%
2009 26.52M +1.23M +4.86%
2008 25.29M +1.17M +4.85%
2007 24.12M +1.11M +4.84%
2006 23.01M +1.06M +4.84%
2005 21.95M +1.01M +4.83%
2004 20.94M +963,845 +4.83%
2003 19.97M +916,957 +4.81%
2002 19.06M +873,645 +4.81%
2001 18.18M +831,333 +4.79%
2000 17.35M +794,372 +4.8%
1999 16.56M +755,963 +4.78%
1998 15.8M +753,134 +5.01%
1997 15.05M +743,961 +5.2%
1996 14.3M +698,995 +5.14%
1995 13.6M +662,317 +5.12%
1994 12.94M +629,124 +5.11%
1993 12.31M +611,416 +5.23%
1992 11.7M +581,659 +5.23%
1991 11.12M +550,822 +5.21%
1990 10.57M +522,421 +5.2%
1989 10.05M +494,876 +5.18%
1988 9.55M +470,764 +5.18%
1987 9.08M +454,527 +5.27%
1986 8.63M +433,472 +5.29%
1985 8.19M +421,807 +5.43%
1984 7.77M +436,491 +5.95%
1983 7.33M +393,366 +5.67%
1982 6.94M +371,243 +5.65%
1981 6.57M +349,973 +5.63%
1980 6.22M +331,316 +5.63%
1979 5.89M +312,385 +5.6%
1978 5.58M +308,203 +5.85%
1977 5.27M +289,826 +5.82%
1976 4.98M +287,563 +6.13%
1975 4.69M +273,174 +6.18%
1974 4.42M +255,719 +6.14%
1973 4.16M +239,242 +6.1%
1972 3.92M +222,492 +6.01%
1971 3.7M +213,854 +6.13%
1970 3.49M +225,618 +6.92%
1969 3.26M +211,495 +6.94%
1968 3.05M +208,322 +7.33%
1967 2.84M +209,060 +7.94%
1966 2.63M +192,981 +7.91%
1965 2.44M +177,960 +7.87%
1964 2.26M +157,551 +7.49%
1963 2.1M +145,842 +7.45%
1962 1.96M +142,297 +7.84%
1961 1.81M +127,965 +7.59%
1960 1.69M

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.