Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Myanmar
Myanmar: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 14.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Myanmar, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Myanmar recorded 14.7% for share of urban population who live in the largest city in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Myanmar peaked at 14.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 1975.
Myanmar ranks 144th 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.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Myanmar, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 13.4% | — |
| 1955 | 13.1% | -2.4% |
| 1960 | 12.6% | -3.4% |
| 1965 | 12.1% | -4.0% |
| 1970 | 11.6% | -4.1% |
| 1975 | 11.3% | -2.7% |
| 1980 | 11.6% | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 11.8% | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 12.0% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 12.2% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 12.4% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 13.0% | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 13.9% | +6.5% |
| 2015 | 14.7% | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 14.7% | +0.6% |
Myanmar compared with similar countries
- Myanmar's 14.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.9%, 59% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Myanmar's 14.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 28.2%, 52% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.2% | 13.1% | 13.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 12.4% | 12.1% | 12.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 11.5% | 11.3% | 11.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 11.7% | 11.6% | 11.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.1% | 12.0% | 12.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.7% | 12.4% | 13.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 14.3% | 13.9% | 14.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 14.7% | 14.7% | 14.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Myanmar
More population data for Myanmar
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.4448 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.5005 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.8844 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.5005 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.45 million people (2100)
- Population density 76.09 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.737 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5289 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Myanmar?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Myanmar was 14.7% 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 Myanmar?
- The highest recorded value was 14.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Myanmar?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 1975.
- How does Myanmar rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Myanmar ranks 144th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Myanmar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Myanmar 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.