Demographic profile
Western Sahara is the 168th most populous of the 238 countries and territories tracked on this site, home to about 0.01% of everyone alive. Within Northern Africa, it ranks 7 of 7.
Each day brings roughly 44 births and 12 deaths, adding about 11,687 people over a year. At the current natural-increase rate of 1.6% annually, the population would double in roughly 44 years if the rate held. Real trajectories bend as fertility, mortality and migration shift, which is why the chart below shows both history and projection.
Literacy stands near 73.0% and adult smoking prevalence around 14.0%, with life expectancy at about 49.8 years. Baselines come from UN World Population Prospects, the World Bank, WHO surveys, WorldPop and HDX; the counters project them forward in real time — the method, and every caveat, is documented on our data sources page.
Quick answers
What is the population of Western Sahara in 2026? Approximately 742,270 people (live projection; the counter above updates every second).
How fast is Western Sahara growing? About 1.6% per year — roughly 44 births and 12 deaths every day.
What share of the world lives in Western Sahara? Around 0.01% — ranked 168 worldwide by population.