20 Countries with the Largest Slum Population in the World

By Our Reporter,
POPULATION

In 2020, the United Nations’ data revealed that almost 1.1 billion people had been living in slums or slum-like conditions. The UN estimates that by 2050, nearly two billion more individuals will be pushed to inhabiting such conditions.

The world is facing a growing habitat crisis, and the problem is of such pertinence that SDG target 11.1 is dedicated to demanding its solution. The target states: “By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.” In 2020, almost 14% of the world’s population dwelled in slums, 85% of whom were concentrated in three regions: Central and Southern Asia, Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. The two Asian regions collectively had 662 million people living in slums, whereas Sub-Saharan Africa had 230 million.

The list of countries was adopted from the World Bank dataset, which lists the percentage of each country’s urban population that is living in slums. The countries are ranked in a descending order of the percentage of urban population living in slums, for the latest available year.

Further information for specific countries has been sourced from the Participatory Slum Upgrading Program (PSUP). PSUP is a program by the UN-Habitat that works to improve living conditions for slum-dwellers. Based on this methodology, here are 20 countries with the largest slum population in the world:

1. South Sudan
   Total Urban Population (2016): 2,112,741
   Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2016): 94%. South Sudan is currently home to the world’s largest slum population, with 94% of its urban population living in slum-like dwellings. The country suffers from extreme poverty, caused mainly by the extreme instability and conflict in the area.

2. Chad
   Total Urban Population (2020): 3,914,834
   Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 82%. Chad is a landlocked country in Central Africa with a high prevalence of extreme poverty. 82% of Chad’s urban population currently lives in slums, which makes it one of the countries with the largest slum populations in the world.

3. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
   Total Urban Population (2020): 42,376,327 Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 78%. According to PSUP, every three out of four urban residents in DRC live in slum-like conditions. The country has more than 33 million individuals dwelling in slums, who make up one of the world’s largest slum populations.

4. Sudan
   Total Urban Population (2020): 15,666,605 Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 74%. The PSUP estimates that every fifth Sudanese lives in massive slums on the outskirts of Khartoum. The country has more than 11.5 million slum residents, which amounts to 74% of its total urban population.

5. Afghanistan
   Total Urban Population (2020): 10,142,913 Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 73%. According to a report by CGTN News, Kabul alone has around 30 slums, which house almost 75% of the capital city’s population. In total, approximately 7.4 million urban citizens in Afghanistan live in slum-like conditions. Harmed by decades of war, Afghanistan is home to one of the largest slum populations in the world.

6. Niger
   Total Urban Population (2018): 3,708,282
   Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2018): 70%

PSUP reports that more than 70% of Niger’s population lives in extreme poverty, whereas every four in five individuals live in slums. Niamey, the country’s capital, has a 70% prevalence of slums, with only 40% of its population having proper access to basic services. This is why Niger is sixth on our list of countries with the largest slum populations in the world.

1. Central African Republic
   Total Urban Population (2016): 1,991,979
   Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2016): 69%

Central African Republic is home to more than 1.37 million slum dwellers, which make up 69% of the country’s total urban population. Poverty caused by armed conflict and violence is one of the main reasons for the country’s adequate housing crisis.

1. Comoros
   Total Urban Population (2018): 224,859
   Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2018): 69%

Even though Comoros has a small urban population compared to many other countries on this list, 69% of this population currently dwells in slum-like conditions. This makes Comoros 8th on our list of countries with the largest slum populations in the world.

1. Benin
   Total Urban Population (2020): 6,121,168
   Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 68%

Benin joined the PSUP in 2012, aiming to focus on the urban development of its slums. The country has identified three main urban priorities through data collection: inadequate drainage, sanitation, and waste management. Even as the country continues to work on these issues, it still hosts one of the world’s largest slum populations.

1. Madagascar
   Total Urban Population (2020): 10,876,290 Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 67%

In Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, there is a 70% prevalence of slums, according to data by PSUP. Furthermore, the city of Manakara has a 75% prevalence of slums. These are also two main cities where the PSUP has been initialized to combat the issue.

1. Nicaragua
   Total Urban Population (2010): 3,332,908
   Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2010): 67%

More than 2.2 million urban citizens of Nicaragua live in slum-like conditions, which make up almost 67% of the total urban population. Thus, Nicaragua is one of the countries with the largest slum populations in the world.

1. Ethiopia
   Total Urban Population (2020): 25,424,568 Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 64%

According to data from Habitat for Humanity, around 35% of Ethiopian properties have only one room, which leads to overcrowding and insufficient living space. In Addis Ababa, the country’s capital, only 7% of houses have a sewer system, and nearly 25% of residents have no toilet access. The country houses one of the world’s largest slum populations.

13. Liberia
Total Urban Population (2020): 2,650,072
Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 64%. Liberia is one of the countries with the largest slum populations in the world, which ranks it 13th on our list. Around 64% of the country’s urban population, or 1.6 million individuals, currently live in slums or slum-like conditions.

1. Angola
   Total Urban Population (2020): 22,338,586 Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 63%

The decades-long civil war in Angola, from 1975 to 2002, has left an enormous impact on urban settlements, forcing many to live in poverty and slums. Luanda, Angola’s capital, is home to several slum populations. In total, the country houses around 14 million slum-dwellers.

1. Guinea-Bissau
   Total Urban Population (2020): 890,915
   Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 61%

National and local governments in Guinea-Bissau have partnered with the UN-Habitat since 2015 to work on several urban projects, including improving informal settlements and developing essential urban services.

1. Myanmar
   Total Urban Population (2020): 16,636,518 Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 58%

In October 2020, Reuters reported that the second COVID-19 lockdown had pushed Myanmar’s slum-dwellers to eat rats and insects as food became increasingly unaffordable. Myanmar is home to one of the world’s largest slum populations, consisting of more than 9 million individuals.

17. Ecuador

Total Urban Population (2006): 8,672,589
Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2006): 58%. The urban population of Ecuador has around 5 million slum dwellers, which makes up 56% of the total. Ecuador is also one of the countries where Holcim AG (SWX:HOLN) offers microfinance and technical assistance opportunities.

1. Pakistan
   Total Urban Population (2020): 84,437,669 Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 56%. Almost 47 million people live in slum-like houses in Pakistan, which makes it one of the countries with the largest slum populations in the world. According to a 2016 article by the World Economic Forum, Orangi Town in Karachi, Pakistan, is home to one of the world’s largest slums.

2. Mauritania
   Total Urban Population (2020): 2,488,943
   Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 56%. About 56% of Mauritania’s urban population lives in slum-like dwellings, which amounts to more than 1 million individuals. This is why Mauritania joined the Participatory Slum Upgrading Program by the UN-Habitat in 2018.

3. Mozambique
   Total Urban Population (2020): 11,559,020 Percentage of Urban Population living in Slums (2020): 55%. Mozambique is one of the countries with the largest slum population in the world, with approximately six million individuals living in urban slums. According to a research article by Shiras et al. in BMC International Health and Human Rights, 70% of Maputo’s population lives in slum-like dwellings, which is the country’s capital.