Population living in slums in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Population living in slums was 53.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Population living in slums in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2022
Source: Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2022, population living in slums in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 53.7%.
The figure is up 5.2% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population living in slums in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 65.1% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 51.0%, in 2020.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 8th out of 33 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Population living in slums in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 62.6% | — |
| 2002 | 65.1% | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 63.3% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 61.8% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 60.1% | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 58.5% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 56.8% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 55.2% | -2.9% |
| 2016 | 53.5% | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 52.2% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 51.0% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 53.7% | +5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 62.6% | 60.1% | 65.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 55.2% | 52.2% | 58.5% | 5 |
| 2020s | 52.4% | 51.0% | 53.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 5 Chad 82.0% compare
- 6 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 78.4% compare
- 7 Congo 75.3% compare
- 8 Sudan 73.7% compare
- 9 Afghanistan 71.6% compare
- 10 Niger 70.4% compare
- 11 Tanzania, United Republic of 70.1% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) 45.1% (2024)
- Poverty gap at $3.00 a day (2021 PPP) 17.2% (2024)
- Poverty headcount ratio at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) 63.3% (2024)
- Poverty headcount ratio at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP) 88.6% (2024)
- Prosperity gap 11.5 average shortfall from a prosperity standard of $28/day (2024)
- Poverty gap at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP) 27.9% (2024)
- Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line 48.3% (2024)
- Poverty gap at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP) 53.2% (2024)
- Proportion of population below international poverty line 45.2% (2024)
- Employed population below international poverty line, by sex and age 40.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population living in slums in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Population living in slums in Sub-Saharan Africa was 53.7% in 2022, according to Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
- What is the highest population living in slums recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 65.1% in 2002.
- What is the lowest population living in slums recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.0% in 2020.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for population living in slums?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 8th out of 33 groups with data for 2022.
- Is population living in slums rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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).
About this data
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.