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Indicators · People and labour

Population density

Midyear population divided by land area.

Why it matters

Density sets the cost of reaching customers: grids, networks, logistics and retail all pay back faster where people are close together.

Read with care

A national average hides very uneven settlement. Use the Atlas cities layer for where people actually live.

Source

World Bank

people per km². 54 African countries, 1990 to 2024.

Density: highest in Mauritius, lowest in Namibia

Population density, people per km². Latest year available, 2024. 16 of 16 countries have data.

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48
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Source: World Bank· Get the data (Professional)·dotzedw Insights Centre

Ranked: densityiWhy it mattersDensity sets the cost of reaching customers: grids, networks, logistics and retail all pay back faster where people are close together.

Click a country to highlight it.

0200400600Mauritius622.9Comoros463.5Seychelles265.5Malawi229.7Tanzania77.6Lesotho77.0Eswatini72.3Madagascar54.9South Africa52.8DRC48.2Mozambique44.0Zimbabwe43.0Angola30.4Zambia28.7Botswana4.4Namibia3.7median 53.9
dotzedw Insights Centre
How spread out SADC is
Median 53.9Log scaleLowest: Namibia 3.7Highest: Mauritius 622.9

Over time

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Population density against income per person

Each bubble is a SADC country, sized by population. Dashed lines mark the SADC medians. Countries far from the pattern are worth a closer look.

0.0100.0200.0300.0400.0500.0600.0$1,000$3,000$10kGDP per person, US$ (log scale)DensityDRCTanzaniaSouth AfricaAngolaMozambiqueMalawiZambiaNamibia
Source: World Bank, World Bank·dotzedw Insights Centre

Table

The same figures as the map, for screen readers and copying.
RankCountryValueYearFive-year changeGradeDetails
1Mauritius622.92024down 2% since 2019A
2Comoros463.52024up 10% since 2019A
3Seychelles265.52024up 25% since 2019A
4Malawi229.72024up 14% since 2019A
5Tanzania77.62024up 16% since 2019A
6Lesotho77.02024up 6% since 2019A
7Eswatini72.32024up 5% since 2019A
8Madagascar54.92024up 13% since 2019A
9South Africa52.82024up 7% since 2019A
10DRC48.22024up 18% since 2019A
11Mozambique44.02024up 16% since 2019A
12Zimbabwe43.02024up 9% since 2019A
13Angola30.42024up 17% since 2019A
14Zambia28.72024up 15% since 2019A
15Botswana4.42024up 8% since 2019A
16Namibia3.72024up 14% since 2019A