Luanda CITY PROFILING REPORT 2025

The report provides a comprehensive profile of Luanda, highlighting its rapid population growth, extreme economic inequality, and a highly centralised governance structure. While the city has benefited from oil wealth, significant service delivery gaps persist, particularly in housing, water, and sanitation for those in informal settlements. The report notes that Luanda is one of the most congested cities globally and faces increasing climate risks, including flooding and sea-level rise.

• Luanda is one of Africa's fastest-growing and largest cities, with a 2024 population estimated between 9.65 million and 10.9 million, making it the fourth largest city on the continent.
• Housing remains a critical challenge, with nearly two-thirds of the population residing in informal, self-built housing known as 'musseques'.
• Luanda's economy is heavily dependent on oil, with a high GDP per capita of $7,400 in 2024, yet it suffers from extreme inequality and a high unemployment rate of 40.1% in 2021/2022.
• The city's governance is extraordinarily centralised; the Province of Luanda acts as the de facto local authority, and neither the province nor its 16 municipalities have elected councils.
• Water and sanitation services are inadequate for the poor; while 87% have basic water access, nearly one million people still lack basic services, and only 10.2% of households have sewered sanitation.
• Luanda is identified as potentially the most congested city in the world, with a NUMBEO traffic index of 371, far exceeding other SADC cities.
• The city faces significant climate change risks, specifically regarding coastal flooding, sea-level rise, and salt-water intrusion, which exacerbate the existing housing crisis.
• Local government financing is heavily reliant on national government transfers, which account for 92% of revenue, indicating a low level of financial devolution.

APA

Palmer, I., & Morrison, S. (2025). Luanda CITY PROFILING REPORT 2025. Good Governance Africa. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/01/Luanda-African-Cities-Report-2025.pdf

Chicago

Palmer, Ian, and Stuart Morrison. Luanda CITY PROFILING REPORT 2025. Good Governance Africa, 2025. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/01/Luanda-African-Cities-Report-2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Palmer |first1=Ian |last2=Morrison |first2=Stuart |title=Luanda CITY PROFILING REPORT 2025 |publisher=Good Governance Africa |date=2025 |url=https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/01/Luanda-African-Cities-Report-2025.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{palmer2025luanda, author = {Palmer, Ian and Morrison, Stuart}, title = {{Luanda CITY PROFILING REPORT 2025}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2025}, url = {https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2026/01/Luanda-African-Cities-Report-2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }