Western Sahara Flag

Western Sahara

Population

614,026

Estimated as of Oct 28, 2026View source
Population rank
172nd
Share of world
< 0.01%
Annual change
+9,9091.65%

Population of Western Sahara

02M4M6M8M10M12M14M16M95% prediction intervalProjected peak2026614K2050 projection777.3K↑ 27% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

Current population estimate: 614,026. 2050 projection: 777,315.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Western Sahara. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
2026610,8131.65%172
2025600,9041.76%172
2020549,3652.03%172
2019538,4402.41%172
2018525,7822.52%172
2017512,8432.64%173
2015486,2222.89%173
2010409,7163.74%174
2005338,6994.15%178
2000271,9435.01%180

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

Laayoune is home to 272,865 people, 44.67% of Western Sahara's population.

City population200K100K40K
Laayoune 272.9KDakhla 180.8KBoujdour 60.9KSmara 56.5KEl Marsa 31.7KLa Guera 3.1K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Laayoune272.9K44.67%
2Dakhla180.8K29.60%
3Boujdour60.9K9.96%
4Smara56.5K9.25%
5El Marsa31.7K5.19%
6La Guera3.1K0.50%

Western Sahara by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 28, 2026

Population
Western Sahara is home to an estimated 614,026 people, the 172nd largest population in the world.
Daily change
Western Sahara has a net population change of approximately 27 people per day, driven by 25 births, 11 deaths, and net immigration of 13 people.
Share of world
Western Sahara makes up < 0.01% of the world's population and 0.04% of Africa's.
Density
2.3 people per km² of land (5.9 per mi²), ranking 232nd among countries and territories.

Western Sahara Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 3100+ years, female: 195–99 years, male: 1795–99 years, female: 1890–94 years, male: 10190–94 years, female: 11885–89 years, male: 45885–89 years, female: 53080–84 years, male: 1,45480–84 years, female: 1,63175–79 years, male: 3,44275–79 years, female: 3,78170–74 years, male: 6,38670–74 years, female: 6,62165–69 years, male: 9,52265–69 years, female: 8,54460–64 years, male: 12,97160–64 years, female: 9,59855–59 years, male: 17,84555–59 years, female: 11,67550–54 years, male: 22,88350–54 years, female: 14,54145–49 years, male: 29,49645–49 years, female: 19,87140–44 years, male: 33,70040–44 years, female: 24,30935–39 years, male: 31,17635–39 years, female: 23,16730–34 years, male: 26,67330–34 years, female: 20,80525–29 years, male: 23,92625–29 years, female: 20,30720–24 years, male: 22,44720–24 years, female: 20,50715–19 years, male: 22,22515–19 years, female: 21,22310–14 years, male: 23,65410–14 years, female: 22,7215–9 years, male: 24,0195–9 years, female: 22,9660–4 years, male: 23,3000–4 years, female: 22,198100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–410K10K20K20K30K30K

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

33.8 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

72 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

54.96%

Female

45.04%

Life expectancy 70.2Life expectancy 74.2

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Western Sahara United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. GeoNames - Locations used in the city population map.
  4. Western Sahara Population 2025 - United Nations Population Fund