Mapping urban slums and spatial inequality in sub-Saharan Africa

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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ORCID for Jim Wright: orcid.org/0000-0002-8842-2181

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