Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Canada
Canada: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 18.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Canada, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Canada recorded 18.0% for share of urban population who live in the largest city in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Canada peaked at 18.3% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 9.9%, in 1950.
That places Canada 129th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 9.9% | — |
| 1955 | 10.2% | +3.0% |
| 1960 | 10.9% | +6.8% |
| 1965 | 11.5% | +5.6% |
| 1970 | 12.3% | +7.2% |
| 1975 | 12.5% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 13.3% | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 13.9% | +4.0% |
| 1990 | 15.7% | +12.9% |
| 1995 | 16.1% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 16.8% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 17.7% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 18.2% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 18.3% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 18.0% | -1.6% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 18.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 29.2%, 62% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 10.0% | 9.9% | 10.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 11.2% | 10.9% | 11.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 12.4% | 12.3% | 12.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 13.6% | 13.3% | 13.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 15.9% | 15.7% | 16.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.3% | 16.8% | 17.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 18.2% | 18.2% | 18.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 18.0% | 18.0% | 18.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More population data for Canada
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.13 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2634 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 45,891 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.7644 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.3863 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.3% (2100)
- Population density 6.1 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.33 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Canada?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Canada was 18.0% 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.9% in 1950.
- How does Canada rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Canada ranks 129th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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.