The Vatican has a population density of 5,493 people per square mile compared to 78.5 people in Zambia. The Vatican has 5,274 sq ft of land per person vs 380,067 sq ft in Zambia. The Vatican and Zambia rank 3rd and 157th by population density, respectively.
Population density is calculated as the ratio of population to land area. The Vatican has 0.00001% of the world's population and 0.0000003% of all countries' land area, compared to 0.26% of the population and 0.5% of the land area for Zambia, making the population density in the Vatican 6,898% higher than in Zambia.
Population density by year
people per square mile
| Year | Population density | |
|---|---|---|
Vatican
|
Zambia
|
|
| 2026 | 5,493 | 78.5 |
| 2025 | 5,460 | 76.4 |
| 2024 | 5,362 | 74.3 |
| 2023 | 5,460 | 72.2 |
| 2022 | 5,602 | 70.2 |
| 2021 | 5,723 | 68.3 |
| 2020 | 5,810 | 66.4 |
| 2019 | 5,886 | 64.5 |
| 2018 | - | 62.6 |
| 2017 | 5,886 | 60.8 |
| 2016 | - | 58.9 |
| 2015 | 5,886 | 57.1 |
| 2014 | 4,956 | 55.4 |
| 2013 | 4,939 | 53.7 |
| 2012 | 4,921 | 52 |
| 2011 | 4,897 | 50.3 |
| 2010 | 4,880 | 48.7 |
| 2009 | 4,862 | 47 |
| 2008 | 4,850 | 45.4 |
| 2007 | 4,833 | 43.8 |
| 2006 | 5,486 | 42.3 |
| 2005 | 5,421 | 40.8 |
| 2004 | 5,421 | 39.5 |
| 2003 | 5,362 | 38.3 |
| 2002 | 5,298 | 37.1 |
| 2001 | 5,239 | 36 |
| 2000 | 5,180 | 34.9 |
| 1999 | 5,180 | 33.9 |
| 1998 | 5,195 | 33 |
| 1997 | 5,217 | 32.2 |
| 1996 | 5,254 | 31.4 |
| 1995 | 5,306 | 30.6 |
| 1994 | 5,373 | 29.9 |
| 1993 | 5,388 | 29.2 |
| 1992 | 5,388 | 28.5 |
| 1991 | 5,395 | 27.8 |
| 1990 | 5,403 | 27.1 |
| 1989 | 5,418 | 26.4 |
| 1988 | 5,433 | 25.8 |
| 1987 | 5,418 | 25.1 |
| 1986 | 5,455 | 24.3 |
| 1985 | 5,462 | 23.6 |
| 1984 | 5,492 | 22.9 |
| 1983 | 5,507 | 22.2 |
| 1982 | 5,522 | 21.5 |
| 1981 | 5,522 | 20.8 |
| 1980 | 5,500 | 20.2 |
| 1979 | 5,492 | 19.6 |
| 1978 | 5,470 | 19 |
| 1977 | 5,448 | 18.5 |
| 1976 | 5,448 | 17.9 |
| 1975 | 5,448 | 17.4 |
| 1974 | 5,470 | 16.9 |
| 1973 | 5,477 | 16.4 |
| 1972 | 5,507 | 15.9 |
| 1971 | 5,559 | 15.5 |
| 1970 | 5,633 | 15.1 |
| 1969 | 5,797 | 14.6 |
| 1968 | 6,176 | 14.2 |
| 1967 | 6,317 | 13.7 |
| 1966 | 6,867 | 13.3 |
| 1965 | 6,830 | 12.9 |
| 1964 | 6,815 | 12.5 |
| 1963 | 6,815 | 12.1 |
| 1962 | 6,808 | 11.7 |
| 1961 | 6,837 | 11.3 |
| 1960 | 6,837 | - |
Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06); United Nations | World Population Prospects (1960–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10); Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20).
GeoRank.org/population-density/vatican/zambia | CC BY 
From 2006 to 2026, population density in the Vatican increased by 0.13%, compared to a 85.7% growth in Zambia.
In 2006, the Vatican ranked 3rd by population density and is 3rd still. Zambia was 164th in 2006 and ranks 157th out of 197 currently.
Population density comparison
|
Vatican
|
Zambia
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population density | 5,493 ppl/mi² | 78.5 ppl/mi² |
| Population density rank | 3/197 | 157/197 |
| Population |
936
|
22697916
|
| Land area | 0.17 sq mi | 287,024 sq mi |
| Land area per capita | 4,736 sq ft | 375,407 sq ft |
| Rural population | n/a | 54.5% |
| Urban population | n/a | 45.5% |
| Living in agglomerations of 1M+ people | 0% | 10.9% |
Densely populated cities
|
Zambia
|
|
|---|---|
| City | Population |
| Lusaka | 2.47M |
| Kitwe | 625K |
| Ndola | 528K |
| Chingola | 255K |
| Mufulira | 182K |
| Livingstone | 177K |
| Kasama | 158K |
| Kapiri Mposhi | 65.2K |
| Choma | 51.8K |
Compare countries by 7 more topics
Population density in other countries
Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06); United Nations | World Population Prospects (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10); U.S. Census Bureau (1961–2025, retrieved 2026-02-08); Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20).
GeoRank.org/population-density/vatican/zambia | CC BY
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Data sources:
- World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
- United Nations | World Population Prospects (1960–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)
- U.S. Census Bureau (1961–2025, retrieved 2026-02-08)
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20)
- Wikidata (2010–2024, retrieved 2026-02-08)
Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.