Saifaddin Galal
Research Expert North Africa
Urbanization in Africa - Statistics & Facts
Although Africa's urbanization rate has been growing rapidly, the continent remains the least urbanized in the world, with only 45% of its population living in cities as of 2023. Alongside Asia, Africa is one of the two regions where urbanization falls short of the worldwide norm. However, this is set to change dramatically. By 2050, it is projected that Africa’s urban population will more than triple to reach 1.5 billion residents, while Asia will have around 3.48 billion. The continent's rapid urbanization is fueled by a mix of factors such as booming population growth, significant rural-to-urban migration, and economic transformations. Is the stage set for an urban revolution in Africa that promises the continent's people more developed social and economic opportunities?
Africa's rapid urbanization, driven by significant population growth and rural-to-urban migration, is expected to have a significant effect on the continent's socio-economic landscape in the coming years. However, this urban change also poses challenges such as environmental degradation, higher living costs, and strained infrastructure, increasing the need for strategic planning and investments in different fields to ensure urban cities are developing sustainably.
Population growth and cities
African countries are still experiencing the largest population growth around the world. In fact, the 20 countries with the highest fertility rates were on the continent. This growth encourages movement to urban areas to benefit from better social services and employment opportunities as urban agglomerations are usually epicenters of innovation, job creation, and economic activity in comparison to less developed rural regions. For instance, Africa’s largest urban agglomeration, Greater Cairo, contributes hugely to the Egyptian GDP and overall economy. The same is true for Johannesburg-Pretoria (Gauteng state), South Africa, and Nigeria's most populated city, Lagos. However, this usually has an effect on the infrastructure and the environment, as such cities tend to have a more overcrowded housing, strained transportation, and inadequate public services due to infrastructure investments falling short of the needs to maintain it.Environmental and socio-economic effects of urbanization
Among the largest 15 urban agglomerations in Africa, Cairo, Accra, and Lagos ranked as the most polluted cities. In 2024, they received an index score of 91, 90.1, and 88.2, respectively. Pollution was not the only prevalent issue in Africa's urban regions. The cost of living in bigger cities was also higher as a result of several factors including higher demand for housing as well as higher taxes that are levied on services in these cities. As of 2024, Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia, was the most expensive city on the continent, with the other bigger cities also appearing to have a higher cost of living. However, urban areas remained more well off overall. Although there were more people employed in rural Africa, extreme poverty was significantly widespread in those areas. In fact, in 2024, nearly 45 percent of the individuals located in rural areas in Africa were living under extreme poverty in comparison to seven percent in urbanized regions.Africa's rapid urbanization, driven by significant population growth and rural-to-urban migration, is expected to have a significant effect on the continent's socio-economic landscape in the coming years. However, this urban change also poses challenges such as environmental degradation, higher living costs, and strained infrastructure, increasing the need for strategic planning and investments in different fields to ensure urban cities are developing sustainably.
