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World and society ยท ranked by Urban population living in slums

Countries with the highest share of urban people living in slums

50 ranked ยท updated 2026-11-02
Number oneSouth Sudan94.2 %
Ranking by Urban population living in slums
#NameUrban population living in slumsChange
1
South Sudan
94.2 %new
292.5 %new
382.4 %new
482 %new
575.34 %new
673.7 %new
772.4 %new
870.7 %new
968.91 %new
1066.7 %new
Show positions 11โ€“50
1164.6 %new
1264 %new
1363.1 %new
1459 %new
1558.7 %new
1658.28 %new
1757.8 %new
1857.6 %new
1957.6 %new
2057.17 %new
2156.2 %new
2256 %new
2356 %new
2452.7 %new
2551.3 %new
2651.1 %new
2750.9 %new
2849.3 %new
2948.34 %new
3048.34 %new
3148.34 %new
3248.34 %new
3348.34 %new
3448.34 %new
3548.34 %new
3647.4 %new
3747 %new
3846.63 %new
3944.7 %new
4044.7 %new
4144.25 %new
4244.2 %new
4344 %new
4443.4 %new
4542.59 %new
4642.28 %new
4742.28 %new
4841.4 %new
4939.6 %new
5038.9 %new

History

How the top 10 has moved

Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.

History appears once this ranking has at least two published snapshots.

About this ranking

Countries with the highest share of urban people living in slums, explained

Countries with the highest share of urban people living in slums is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in world and society by Urban population living in slums, built from public data published by Our World in Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-11-02. This is the first published snapshot; from the next refresh onwards the page will also show movers, new entries and a rank history chart.

South Sudan currently holds #1 with 94.2 %. Mali is second with 92.5 %. Sao Tome and Principe completes the top three with 82.4 %. Together the top three account for about 35% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.

How it is measured: The share of the urban population living in slums. Our World in Data chart "share-of-urban-population-living-in-slums" (column _11_1_1__en_lnd_slum); most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded. Caveat: Years differ by country; the chart page documents the original source and its limitations. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The full top 50 is on this page, with positions 11 to 50 one click away, and each entry links to its own profile showing every ranking it appears in.

Use this page to check who is number one right now, compare any two entries head to head, or test yourself with the quiz, which asks you to name all ten in three minutes. Year-end archives are available for 2026, freezing the ranking as it stood at the close of each year. Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value: each number is fetched from its source, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails the gate, the previous snapshot stays live and the problem is reviewed by a person.

Frequently asked questions

Who is #1 in Countries with the highest share of urban people living in slums?
South Sudan is #1 with 94.2 %, as of 2026-11-02. Mali is #2.
How is Countries with the highest share of urban people living in slums ranked?
By Urban population living in slums. The share of the urban population living in slums. Our World in Data chart "share-of-urban-population-living-in-slums" (column _11_1_1__en_lnd_slum); most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded.
How often is this ranking updated?
It refreshes on a fixed schedule from Our World in Data. The latest snapshot was captured on 2026-11-02.
Where does the data come from?
Our World in Data. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The raw payload for every refresh is stored unchanged so any number can be traced back.