Gao — UN urban centre
Gao: 167,417 people. Reference: 2025 annual estimate · World rank #3,607 of 12,138 source urban centres. Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025 (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Source identifier: 2082; territory: Mali (MLI). UN source workbook.
Method: Degree of Urbanisation (contiguous 1 km2 cells, density 1,500+ people/km2, total 50,000+). This is a source-defined urban centre, not a municipality or province. No association with a separate administrative entity is inferred from proximity or name.
Source centroid: 16.2715, -0.0384. National context uses World Bank estimates, a separate series and geography; no national share is inferred here.
UN population series
| Year | People | Method |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 58,118 | Estimate |
| 1995 | 51,038 | Estimate |
| 2000 | 55,370 | Estimate |
| 2005 | 67,359 | Estimate |
| 2010 | 88,782 | Estimate |
| 2015 | 113,083 | Estimate |
| 2020 | 143,671 | Estimate |
| 2025 | 167,417 | Estimate |
| 2030 | 192,602 | Projection |
| 2035 | 211,610 | Projection |
| 2040 | 258,291 | Projection |
| 2045 | 277,943 | Projection |
| 2050 | 323,192 | Projection |
Largest UN urban centres · Fastest-growing urban centres
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.