Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mexico
Mexico: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 18.0% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mexico, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mexico is 18.0%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mexico peaked at 28.6% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 18.0%, in 2020.
That places Mexico 130th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Mexico, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 27.6% | — |
| 1955 | 27.6% | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 28.1% | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 28.3% | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 28.5% | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 28.5% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 28.6% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 26.9% | -5.7% |
| 1990 | 25.6% | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 24.5% | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 23.5% | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 22.1% | -5.9% |
| 2010 | 20.9% | -5.6% |
| 2015 | 20.1% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 18.0% | -10.6% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 18.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 25.9%, 69% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 18.0% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 30.3%, 59% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 27.6% | 27.6% | 27.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 28.2% | 28.1% | 28.3% | 2 |
| 1970s | 28.5% | 28.5% | 28.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 27.7% | 26.9% | 28.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 25.0% | 24.5% | 25.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 22.8% | 22.1% | 23.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 20.5% | 20.1% | 20.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 18.0% | 18.0% | 18.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More population data for Mexico
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.5786 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -4.1 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.5786 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.7936 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 143,772 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.6019 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7222 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.6% (2100)
- Population density 67 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 5.55 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mexico?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Mexico 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 28.6% in 1980.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.0% in 2020.
- How does Mexico rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Mexico ranks 130th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mexico 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.