The territory of Western Sahara is disputed: Most of its parts are currently annexed by Morocco. The area east of the Moroccan Wall is controlled by the Democratic Arabian Republic Sahara (R.A.S.D.). The following area and population figures are based on the current Moroccan regions and the course of the Moroccan Wall; they partly do not observe the former demarcation between Morocco and Western Sahara, which is depicted in the map as grey line.
Provinces
The population of the provinces of Western Sahara according to census results and latest official projections.
The population in the area controlled by the R.A.S.D. is not determinable. The following population figures also do not consider the Sahrawi refugees living in Algerian camps (about 100,000).
| Name | Abbr. | Native | Capital | Area A (km²) | Population Census (C) 1982-09-03 | Population Census (C) 1994-09-02 | Population Census (C) 2004-09-02 | Population Census (C) 2014-09-01 | Population Projection (P) 2023-07-01 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Sahara | ESH | الصحراء الغربية | Laâyoune | 272,000 | 163,868 | 252,146 | 415,945 | 510,713 | 618,600 | |||
| Aousserd | AOU | أوسرد | Aousserd | 33,700 | Oued Ed-Dahab | 2,507 | 20,513 | 16,190 | 13,700 | 3370000 | ||
| Boujdour | BOU | بوجدور | Boujdour | 51,100 | 8,481 | 21,691 | 46,129 | 50,566 | 52,900 | 5110000 | ||
| Es Semara | SEM | السمارة | Es Semara | 37,130 | 20,480 | 39,726 | 60,426 | 66,014 | 78,400 | 3713000 | ||
| Laâyoune | LAA | العيون | Laâyoune | 10,790 | 113,411 | 145,727 | 199,603 | 238,096 | 271,300 | 1079000 | ||
| Oued Ed-Dahab | OED | وادي الذهب | Dakhla | 44,700 | 21,496 | 34,244 | 78,854 | 126,765 | 187,200 | 4470000 | ||
| R.A.S.D. | RASD | 82,500 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 8250000 | ||||
| Tarfaya | TAR | طرفاية | 12,270 | Laâyoune | 8,251 | 10,420 | 13,082 | 15,200 | 1227000 |
- (1982) The Statesman's Year-Book.
(1994) (2004) (2014) (2020) Haut Commissariat au Plan, Royaume du Maroc.
(area) Areas figures are computed taking province borders from OpenStreetMap (OSM).
Major Urban Communes
| Name | Adm. | Population Census (C) 2014-09-01 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laâyoune | LAA | 217,732 |
| 2 | Dakhla | OED | 106,277 |
| 3 | Es Semara | SEM | 57,035 |
Contents: Urban Communes
The population of the urban communes in Western Sahara by census years.
| Name | Status | Native | Adm. | Population Census (C) 1982-09-03 | Population Census (C) 1994-09-02 | Population Census (C) 2004-09-02 | Population Census (C) 2014-09-01 | Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aousserd (Auserd) | RC | أوسرد | AOU | ... | ... | ... | ... | 0 | |
| Boujdour (Cabo Bojador, Būjaydūr) | UCom | بوجدور | BOU | 3,597 | 15,167 | 36,843 | 42,651 | 0 | |
| Dakhla (Ad-Dākhlah) | UCom | الداخلة | OED | 17,309 | 29,831 | 58,104 | 106,277 | 0 | |
| El Marsa (Al-Marsā) | UCom | المرسى | LAA | ... | 4,334 | 10,229 | 17,917 | 0 | |
| Es Semara (Smara, As-Samārah) | UCom | السمارة | SEM | 17,753 | 28,750 | 40,347 | 57,035 | 0 | |
| Laâyoune (El Aaiún, Al-'Ayūn) | UCom | العيون | LAA | 93,875 | 136,950 | 183,691 | 217,732 | 0 | |
| Lagouira (La Gouèra) | UCom | الكويرة | 513 | 509 | 3,726 | 0 | 0 |
- Haut Commissariat au Plan, Royaume du Maroc.