Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Algeria
Algeria: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 8.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Algeria, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Algeria stood at 8.8%. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Algeria peaked at 16.7% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 2020.
Algeria ranks 165th of 179 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Algeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 14.9% | — |
| 1955 | 15.0% | +1.0% |
| 1960 | 16.2% | +7.9% |
| 1965 | 16.7% | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 16.5% | -0.9% |
| 1975 | 16.4% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 14.2% | -13.7% |
| 1985 | 11.8% | -16.5% |
| 1990 | 10.6% | -10.7% |
| 1995 | 10.0% | -4.9% |
| 2000 | 9.7% | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 9.8% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 9.7% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 9.2% | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 8.8% | -4.0% |
Algeria compared with similar countries
- Algeria's 8.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 25.9%, 34% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Algeria's 8.8% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 22.7%, 39% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 14.9% | 14.9% | 15.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 16.4% | 16.2% | 16.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 16.5% | 16.4% | 16.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 13.0% | 11.8% | 14.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 10.3% | 10.0% | 10.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 9.8% | 9.7% | 9.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 9.4% | 9.2% | 9.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 8.8% | 8.8% | 8.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Algeria
More population data for Algeria
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0774 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1786 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.18 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1786 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.00 million people (2100)
- Population density 27.08 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.3913 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.09 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Algeria?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Algeria was 8.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Algeria?
- The highest recorded value was 16.7% in 1965.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Algeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.8% in 2020.
- How does Algeria rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Algeria ranks 165th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Algeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Algeria data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.