Annual growth rate of urban population share in (UN M49)
(UN M49): Annual growth rate of urban population share was 0.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.3%
Change on year
up 2.8%
Rank
1st
of 1 groups
All-time high
26.8%
in 1959
All-time low
-1.4%
in 1956
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Annual growth rate of urban population share in (UN M49), 1950–2025
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual growth rate of urban population share in (UN M49) is 0.3%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 491.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual growth rate of urban population share in (UN M49) peaked at 26.8% in 1959 and was at its lowest, -1.4%, in 1956.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual growth rate of urban population share in (UN M49), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.5% | — |
| 1951 | 4.2% | +66.5% |
| 1952 | 6.3% | +51.5% |
| 1953 | 11.2% | +76.9% |
| 1954 | 2.9% | -74.1% |
| 1955 | 0.6% | -79.1% |
| 1956 | -1.4% | -326.8% |
| 1957 | -0.8% | -39.7% |
| 1958 | 11.0% | -1429.5% |
| 1959 | 26.8% | +143.6% |
| 1960 | 5.1% | -80.9% |
| 1961 | 2.3% | -54.4% |
| 1962 | 2.1% | -8.9% |
| 1963 | 2.1% | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 1.7% | -20.0% |
| 1965 | 1.6% | -5.3% |
| 1966 | 1.5% | -4.0% |
| 1967 | 1.1% | -28.6% |
| 1968 | 0.8% | -23.5% |
| 1969 | 0.6% | -28.5% |
| 1970 | 0.8% | +39.7% |
| 1971 | 1.4% | +62.2% |
| 1972 | 0.7% | -46.2% |
| 1973 | 0.6% | -23.9% |
| 1974 | 0.7% | +19.3% |
| 1975 | 0.8% | +23.1% |
| 1976 | 0.8% | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 0.7% | -19.2% |
| 1978 | 0.4% | -40.9% |
| 1979 | 0.1% | -86.2% |
| 1980 | 0.4% | +588.8% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | +51.1% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | +16.9% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | +7.1% |
| 1984 | 0.7% | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | -7.5% |
| 1986 | 0.6% | -9.8% |
| 1987 | 0.5% | -11.0% |
| 1988 | 0.6% | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 0.5% | -15.3% |
| 1990 | 0.2% | -48.7% |
| 1991 | 0.2% | -20.7% |
| 1992 | 0.1% | -35.5% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -10.0% |
| 1994 | 0.2% | +51.7% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | +107.8% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | +85.6% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | +19.2% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | +6.4% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | -6.4% |
| 2000 | 0.3% | -60.3% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | -72.3% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +64.8% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | +14.0% |
| 2004 | 0.1% | -21.4% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -37.8% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | +176.0% |
| 2007 | 0.4% | +84.1% |
| 2008 | 0.5% | +19.6% |
| 2009 | 0.4% | -10.7% |
| 2010 | 0.2% | -49.3% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -53.2% |
| 2012 | 0.1% | -48.1% |
| 2013 | 0.0% | -63.1% |
| 2014 | 0.0% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | +193.8% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | +162.5% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | +71.4% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | +39.2% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | +33.6% |
| 2020 | 0.6% | +22.4% |
| 2021 | 0.3% | -46.1% |
| 2022 | 0.3% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 0.3% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 0.3% | +4.6% |
| 2025 | 0.3% | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.3% | -1.4% | 26.8% | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.9% | 0.6% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near (UN M49)
More population data for (UN M49)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2050)
- Urban and rural population projected to 2050 148,464 people (2050)
- Share of population living in urban areas 69.3% (2025)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas 366,165 people (2025)
- Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita 69.3% (2025)
- Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 69.3% (2025)
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas 69.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual growth rate of urban population share in (UN M49)?
- Annual growth rate of urban population share in (UN M49) was 0.3% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in (UN M49)?
- The highest recorded value was 26.8% in 1959.
- What is the lowest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in (UN M49)?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.4% in 1956.
- How does (UN M49) rank for annual growth rate of urban population share?
- (UN M49) ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 2025.
- Is annual growth rate of urban population share rising or falling in (UN M49)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 491.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this (UN M49) data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual growth rate of urban population share. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average annual rate of change of the share of the population living in urban areas.