Population of Cities in Zambia 2023

Zambia has a population of 18,685,699, making it the 65th-most populous country in the world. Zambia’s capital and the most populous city is Lusaka. Lusaka’s urban population is about 2.5 million people, and its metro area is estimated at 3.3 million. Lusaka is Zambia’s government and commerce center and connects its four main highways going north, south, east, and west. Lusaka is the only city with over 1 million people. Kitwe is the second-most populous city with 517,543 people. Kitwe is also the country’s third-largest city in terms of infrastructure development and is one of the most developed commercial and industrial areas in Zambia. Ndola is Zambia’s third-most populous city, with 475,194 people. Seven other cities have populations of over 100,000.

About 44.07% of Zambia’s population lives in cities or urban areas, while 55.93% lives in rural areas. Zambia’s rate of urbanization is about 4.23% annually.