Mapping urban slums and spatial inequality in sub-Saharan Africa
Mapping urban slums and spatial inequality in sub-Saharan Africa
Slums house nearly one-quarter of the global urban population, yet their spatial and socioeconomic dynamics remain poorly understood, hindering progress toward the United Nations’ commitment to ‘leave no one behind’. Here, focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, we integrate geospatial data with household surveys to map slum prevalence and asset-based wealth inequalities across 32 countries. We identify that 54.6% of the urban population in these countries live in slums, with lower wealth levels compared with non-slum areas. Despite a reduction in the proportion of slum populations over the past two decades, wealth inequalities have risen, especially in countries with substantial slum populations. This study highlights profound inequalities in urban essential services, living conditions and household wealth in sub-Saharan African countries, emphasizing the importance of fine-scale analysis of slum distributions and associated wealth inequalities to inform inclusive programs.
Li, Chengxiu
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Yu, Le
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Ndugwa, Robert
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Bailey, Adrian
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Zhang, Xiaoling
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Oloo, Francis
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Chimimba, Ellasy Gulule
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Deng, Xiangzhen
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Wright, Jim
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Li, Chengxiu
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Yu, Le
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Ndugwa, Robert
5a700daa-39bc-43fb-af1b-dc269e977011
Bailey, Adrian
0be1bf26-c32b-4db9-b028-a537bdf2e4f4
Zhang, Xiaoling
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Oloo, Francis
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Chimimba, Ellasy Gulule
94ec6aaf-bf9d-4120-b21c-b719e2b83cb8
Deng, Xiangzhen
e7d3eb33-4b15-4ab6-9cb0-7093c895e8a4
Wright, Jim
94990ecf-f8dd-4649-84f2-b28bf272e464
Li, Chengxiu, Yu, Le, Ndugwa, Robert, Bailey, Adrian, Zhang, Xiaoling, Oloo, Francis, Chimimba, Ellasy Gulule, Deng, Xiangzhen and Wright, Jim
(2025)
Mapping urban slums and spatial inequality in sub-Saharan Africa.
Nature Cities.
(doi:10.1038/s44284-025-00276-0).
Abstract
Slums house nearly one-quarter of the global urban population, yet their spatial and socioeconomic dynamics remain poorly understood, hindering progress toward the United Nations’ commitment to ‘leave no one behind’. Here, focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, we integrate geospatial data with household surveys to map slum prevalence and asset-based wealth inequalities across 32 countries. We identify that 54.6% of the urban population in these countries live in slums, with lower wealth levels compared with non-slum areas. Despite a reduction in the proportion of slum populations over the past two decades, wealth inequalities have risen, especially in countries with substantial slum populations. This study highlights profound inequalities in urban essential services, living conditions and household wealth in sub-Saharan African countries, emphasizing the importance of fine-scale analysis of slum distributions and associated wealth inequalities to inform inclusive programs.
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Accepted/In Press date: 6 June 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 8 August 2025
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Local EPrints ID: 504061
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/504061
ISSN: 2731-9997
PURE UUID: b658d005-2eef-4f75-93da-44dd3545a6d7
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Date deposited: 22 Aug 2025 16:33
Last modified: 23 Aug 2025 01:51
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Contributors
Author:
Chengxiu Li
Author:
Le Yu
Author:
Robert Ndugwa
Author:
Adrian Bailey
Author:
Xiaoling Zhang
Author:
Francis Oloo
Author:
Ellasy Gulule Chimimba
Author:
Xiangzhen Deng
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