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

Latest (2020)
8.8%
World rank
165th
of 179 countries
All-time high
16.7%
in 1965
All-time low
8.8%
in 2020
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Algeria, 1950–2020

0510151950198520201950: 14.9 %1955: 15 %1960: 16.2 %1965: 16.7 %1970: 16.5 %1975: 16.4 %1980: 14.2 %1985: 11.8 %1990: 10.6 %1995: 10 %2000: 9.7 %2005: 9.8 %2010: 9.7 %2015: 9.2 %2020: 8.8 %

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 162 Switzerland 10.1% compare
  2. 163 Slovakia 9.8% compare
  3. 164 Pakistan 9.4% compare
  4. 166 Ukraine 8.8% compare
  5. 167 Papua New Guinea 8.6% compare
  6. 168 Laos 8.2% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Algeria

All data for Algeria →

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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,452 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

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.