Africa has 52 cities with populations of 1m or higher – the same number as for Europe.

This is just one of the facts revealed in a new African Development Bank (AfDB) report, titled Tracking Africa’s Progress in Figures.

The report describes urbanisation as “a pan-African phenomenon”. It is estimated that between 1960 and 2011, Africa’s urban population rose from 19% to 39%. By 2040 it is expected that 50% of Africans will live in urban areas.

Drawing from UN-Habitat numbers, the report also identifies some of the continent’s fastest growing cities. While the accuracy of some of these figures can be questioned (for example, many believe the population of Lagos is already close to 20m), it still provides for interesting reading.

Tanzania’s commercial hub Dar es Salaam is listed as the African city that will experience the most growth between 2010 and 2025, followed by Nairobi (Kenya), Kinshasa (DRC), Luanda (Angola) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).

Growth of African cities

City Country Population (thousands) % change 2010 2025 2010-2025 Dar es Salaam Tanzania 3,349 6,202 85.2 Nairobi Kenya 3,523 6,246 77.3 Kinshasa DRC 8,754 15,041 71.8 Luanda Angola 4,772 8,077 69.3 Addis Ababa Ethiopia 2,930 4,757 62.4 Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire 4,125 6,321 53.2 Dakar Senegal 2,863 4,338 51.5 Lagos Nigeria 10,578 15,810 49.5 Ibadan Nigeria 2,837 4,237 49.3 Accra Ghana 2,342 3,497 49.3 Kano Nigeria 3,395 5,060 49 Douala Cameroon 2,125 3,131 47.3 Alexandria Egypt 4,387 5,648 28.7 Algiers Algeria 2,800 3,595 28.4 Casablanca Morocco 3,284 4,065 23.8 Cairo Egypt 11,001 13,531 23 Ekurhuleni South Africa 3,202 3,614 12.9 Durban South Africa 2,879 3,241 12.6 Johannesburg South Africa 3,670 4,127 12.5 Cape Town South Africa 3,405 3,824 12.3