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

Indonesia: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 16.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
16.5%
World rank
135th
of 179 countries
All-time high
16.5%
in 2020
All-time low
8.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

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

0510151950198520201950: 8 %1955: 8.7 %1960: 9.6 %1965: 10 %1970: 10.4 %1975: 10.9 %1980: 11.7 %1985: 12.3 %1990: 13 %1995: 13.4 %2000: 14 %2005: 14.8 %2010: 15.5 %2015: 16.1 %2020: 16.5 %

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 Indonesia stood at 16.5%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Indonesia peaked at 16.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 1950.

Indonesia ranks 135th of 179 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 8.4% 8.0% 8.7% 2
1960s 9.8% 9.6% 10.0% 2
1970s 10.6% 10.4% 10.9% 2
1980s 12.0% 11.7% 12.3% 2
1990s 13.2% 13.0% 13.4% 2
2000s 14.4% 14.0% 14.8% 2
2010s 15.8% 15.5% 16.1% 2
2020s 16.5% 16.5% 16.5% 1

Countries ranked near Indonesia

  1. 132 United Kingdom 17.2% compare
  2. 134 Iraq 16.6% compare
  3. 136 Tajikistan 16.2% compare
  4. 137 Afghanistan 15.9% compare
  5. 138 Eritrea 15.4% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Indonesia

All data for Indonesia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Indonesia?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Indonesia was 16.5% 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 Indonesia?
The highest recorded value was 16.5% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Indonesia?
The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 1950.
How does Indonesia rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Indonesia ranks 135th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Indonesia?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Indonesia 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.