Population living in slums in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Population living in slums was 31.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
31.9%
Change on year
down 6.2%
Rank
15th
of 33 groups
All-time high
51.0%
in 2000
All-time low
31.9%
in 2022
Years of data
12
2000–2022

Population living in slums in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 2000–2022

02040602000201120222000: 51 % of urban population2002: 50.2 % of urban population2004: 48.4 % of urban population2006: 44.6 % of urban population2008: 42.5 % of urban population2010: 40.6 % of urban population2012: 38.3 % of urban population2014: 35.6 % of urban population2016: 34.6 % of urban population2018: 34.2 % of urban population2020: 34 % of urban population2022: 31.9 % of urban population

Source: Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Measured in % of urban population.

Analysis

The most recent figure for population living in slums in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 31.9%, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.2% on the previous year and down 16.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population living in slums in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 51.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.9%, in 2022.

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 15th of 33 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.

Population living in slums in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year

Annual values for Population living in slums (% of urban population) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 2000 to 2022.
Year % of urban population Change
2000 51.0%
2002 50.2% -1.7%
2004 48.4% -3.6%
2006 44.6% -7.8%
2008 42.5% -4.7%
2010 40.6% -4.4%
2012 38.3% -5.8%
2014 35.6% -7.0%
2016 34.6% -2.9%
2018 34.2% -1.1%
2020 34.0% -0.4%
2022 31.9% -6.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 47.3% 42.5% 51.0% 5
2010s 36.6% 34.2% 40.6% 5
2020s 33.0% 31.9% 34.0% 2

Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

  1. 12 Central African Republic 68.9% compare
  2. 13 Madagascar 65.7% compare
  3. 14 Equatorial Guinea 64.7% compare
  4. 15 Ethiopia 64.3% compare
  5. 16 Benin 64.0% compare
  6. 17 Angola 62.7% compare
  7. 18 Liberia 60.5% compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More poverty & inequality data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is population living in slums in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Population living in slums in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 31.9% in 2022, according to Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
What is the highest population living in slums recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 51.0% in 2000.
What is the lowest population living in slums recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 31.9% in 2022.
How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for population living in slums?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 15th out of 33 groups with data for 2022.
Is population living in slums rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan data come from?
The figures come from Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), published as part of Population living in slums (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Population living in slums in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan. Statizoid, drawing on Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/population-living-in-slums-percent-of-urban-population/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/population-living-in-slums-percent-of-urban-population/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/">Population living in slums in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Population living in slums (% of urban population)
Unit
% of urban population
Source
Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
207 places, 2,376 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed

Population living in slums is the proportion of the urban population living in slum households. A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, housing durability, and security of tenure, as adopted in the Millennium Development Goal Target 7.D. The successor, the Sustainable Development Goal 11.1.1, considers inadequate housing (housing affordability) to complement the above definition of slums/informal settlements.