Luanda to overtake Lagos with 20.3 million residents in 2050
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Trust
Luanda is expected to grow from 11.4 million residents in 2025 to 20.3 million in 2050, an increase of 78%, according to the World Bank. The Angolan capital would thus become the most populous city in Sub-Saharan Africa, ahead of Lagos, whose population would reach 16.2 million, according to the report.
The World Bank forecasts that Lagos will grow from 12.8 million residents in 2025 to 16.2 million in 2050, an increase of more than 25%. Despite this growth, Nigeria's economic capital is expected to lose its position as the most populous city in Sub-Saharan Africa to Luanda, according to the World Bank report.
Bamako is expected to enter the ranking of the region's 15 most populous cities in 2050, with a projected population of 7.6 million compared with 4.2 million in 2025, an increase of 80%. Mogadishu is also expected to enter the ranking, with 7.2 million residents compared with 4.4 million, an increase of 64%, while Kano and Cape Town are expected to leave it despite respective increases of 36% and 31%.
These projections complement previous estimates on Luanda's population growth, published on 29 October 2026. The World Bank notably forecasts that Kinshasa, Dar es Salaam, Addis Ababa, Abidjan, Khartoum, Johannesburg, Onitsha, Yaoundé, Nairobi, Kampala and Accra will remain among the 15 most populous cities in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2050.
