Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Estonia

Estonia: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 49.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
49.9%
World rank
28th
of 179 countries
All-time high
49.9%
in 2020
All-time low
30.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

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

010203040501950198520201950: 30 %1955: 31.2 %1960: 33.1 %1965: 33.5 %1970: 34.1 %1975: 35.1 %1980: 39.1 %1985: 41 %1990: 41.3 %1995: 40.8 %2000: 39.8 %2005: 41.3 %2010: 42.2 %2015: 46.3 %2020: 49.9 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Estonia recorded 49.9% for share of urban population who live in the largest city in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 18.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Estonia peaked at 49.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 30.0%, in 1950.

That places Estonia 28th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 30.6% 30.0% 31.2% 2
1960s 33.3% 33.1% 33.5% 2
1970s 34.6% 34.1% 35.1% 2
1980s 40.0% 39.1% 41.0% 2
1990s 41.1% 40.8% 41.3% 2
2000s 40.5% 39.8% 41.3% 2
2010s 44.3% 42.2% 46.3% 2
2020s 49.9% 49.9% 49.9% 1

Countries ranked near Estonia

  1. 25 East Timor 50.7% compare
  2. 26 Equatorial Guinea 50.4% compare
  3. 27 Mauritania 50.2% compare
  4. 29 Barbados 49.8% compare
  5. 30 Panama 47.8% compare
  6. 31 Armenia 47.7% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Estonia

All data for Estonia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Estonia?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Estonia was 49.9% 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 Estonia?
The highest recorded value was 49.9% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Estonia?
The lowest recorded value was 30.0% in 1950.
How does Estonia rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Estonia ranks 28th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Estonia?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Estonia 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.