Rural population, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Rural population, per square kilometre was 29.68 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
29.68 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 1.6%
Rank
22nd
of 45 groups
All-time high
29.68 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
9.88 units per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Rural population, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 29.68 units per square kilometre for rural population, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 29.68 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 9.88 units per square kilometre, in 1961.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 22nd of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Rural population, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 9.88 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 10.08 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 10.28 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 10.5 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 10.72 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 10.94 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1967 | 11.17 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 11.4 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 11.65 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 11.9 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1971 | 12.15 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1972 | 12.4 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 12.67 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 12.95 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 13.24 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 13.53 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 13.82 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 14.15 units per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1979 | 14.49 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 14.83 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 15.19 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 15.58 units per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1983 | 15.95 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 16.31 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 16.67 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 17.04 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 17.4 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 17.77 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 18.13 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 18.51 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 18.88 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 19.29 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 18.69 units per square kilometre | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 19.07 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 19.47 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 19.89 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 20.31 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 20.73 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 21.15 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 21.58 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 22.01 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 22.45 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 22.89 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 23.18 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 23.63 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 24.09 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 24.59 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 25.07 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 25.58 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 26.11 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 26.65 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 24.34 units per square kilometre | -8.6% |
| 2013 | 24.83 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 25.32 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 25.8 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 26.28 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 26.77 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 27.26 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 27.77 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 28.26 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 28.74 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 29.21 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 29.68 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.73 units per square kilometre | 9.88 units per square kilometre | 11.65 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 13.13 units per square kilometre | 11.9 units per square kilometre | 14.49 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.49 units per square kilometre | 14.83 units per square kilometre | 18.13 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.6 units per square kilometre | 18.51 units per square kilometre | 21.15 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.51 units per square kilometre | 21.58 units per square kilometre | 25.58 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.11 units per square kilometre | 24.34 units per square kilometre | 27.77 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.97 units per square kilometre | 28.26 units per square kilometre | 29.68 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 19 Uganda 168.39 units per square kilometre compare
- 20 Antigua and Barbuda 160.23 units per square kilometre compare
- 21 Seychelles 142.95 units per square kilometre compare
- 22 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 135.83 units per square kilometre compare
- 23 Micronesia, Federated States of 124.8 units per square kilometre compare
- 24 Saint Kitts and Nevis 122.83 units per square kilometre compare
- 25 Trinidad and Tobago 122.75 units per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 395.90 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 17.9% (2025)
- Rural population 731.36 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1792 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Rural population, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 29.68 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 29.68 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.88 units per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for rural population, per square kilometre?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 22nd out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is rural population, per square kilometre rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Rural population, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Rural population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Rural population ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Rural population World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Rural population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.