Western Sahara: cities by population
Western Sahara has a population of 610,813 (UN estimate, 2026), with El-Aaiun as its capital. The 26 largest of its 26 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+125%
since 2000 (271,943)
+27%
projected by 2050 (777,316)
2
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Western Sahara
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laayoune | 196,331 | |
| 2 | Dakhla | 106,277 | |
| 3 | Boujdour | 42,651 | |
| 4 | El Marsa | 28,848 | |
| 5 | Meharrize | 12,000 | |
| 6 | Tichla | 6,036 | |
| 7 | El Aargub | 5,020 | |
| 8 | Bir Ganduz | 4,625 | |
| 9 | Bir Ghandouz | 4,625 | |
| 10 | Amgala | 4,398 | |
| 11 | Oum Dreyga | 3,146 | |
| 12 | Tifariti | 3,000 | |
| 13 | Bu Craa | 2,519 | |
| 14 | Haouza | 2,400 | |
| 15 | Foum el Oued | 1,844 | |
| 16 | Dchira | 1,745 | |
| 17 | Jraifia | 1,385 | |
| 18 | Bir Anzarane | 1,273 | |
| 19 | Lemsid | 1,161 | |
| 20 | Uad Damran | 1,108 | |
| 21 | Daoura | 1,108 | |
| 22 | Bir Lehlou | 1,000 | |
| 23 | Zug | 833 | |
| 24 | Agti el Ghazi | 635 | |
| 25 | Mijek | 519 | |
| 26 | Hasi Gueleita | 512 |
Twenty years earlier: Western Sahara in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 428,839.
Common questions
What is the population of Western Sahara?
Western Sahara has a population of 610,813, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 777,316 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Western Sahara?
El-Aaiun. The largest place we record there is Laayoune, with 196,331 people.