Where people live in six Central African countries

Population concentration varies widely

The 2025 shares for the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo were close at 44.55% and 45.11%. Cameroon was about 11 points above the Central African Republic. The Republic of the Congo, at 64.12%, was about 19 points above the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Source 1

Chad’s share grew from a low starting point

Chad rose from 22.80% in 2015 to 27.57% in 2025, an increase of 4.77 percentage points. Over the same decade, the Republic of the Congo moved from 63.14% to 64.12%, a rise of about one point. Source 1

A rising share has more than one explanation

Migration can change the balance between urban and rural populations. Births, deaths and a change in how areas are classified can also change it. This series provides a national share for each year, so it takes local data to identify what drove a change. Source 1

The share gives context for infrastructure demand

For a city water or transport project, national urbanisation gives broad context. A project assessment needs the number of people served and their location. Differences in national definitions also matter when comparing categories such as towns and peri-urban areas across borders. Source 1

Sources

• United Nations World Urbanization Prospects national definitions via World Bank WDI
• World Bank data API, selected countries and years