Share of urban population who live in the largest city in North Macedonia

North Macedonia: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 27.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
27.1%
World rank
85th
of 179 countries
All-time high
29.9%
in 1980
All-time low
21.9%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

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

01020301950198520201950: 21.9 %1955: 23.2 %1960: 24.8 %1965: 26.3 %1970: 28 %1975: 29.2 %1980: 29.9 %1985: 29.1 %1990: 28.4 %1995: 28.2 %2000: 27 %2005: 26.5 %2010: 26.6 %2015: 26.8 %2020: 27.1 %

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 North Macedonia stood at 27.1%.

That represents a change of up 2.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in North Macedonia peaked at 29.9% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 21.9%, in 1950.

That places North Macedonia 85th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 22.6% 21.9% 23.2% 2
1960s 25.6% 24.8% 26.3% 2
1970s 28.6% 28.0% 29.2% 2
1980s 29.5% 29.1% 29.9% 2
1990s 28.3% 28.2% 28.4% 2
2000s 26.8% 26.5% 27.0% 2
2010s 26.7% 26.6% 26.8% 2
2020s 27.1% 27.1% 27.1% 1

Countries ranked near North Macedonia

  1. 82 New Zealand 28.1% compare
  2. 83 Somalia 27.9% compare
  3. 84 Burkina Faso 27.7% compare
  4. 86 Hungary 26.7% compare
  5. 87 Sri Lanka 26.0% compare
  6. 88 Puerto Rico 25.9% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for North Macedonia

All data for North Macedonia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in North Macedonia?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in North Macedonia was 27.1% 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 North Macedonia?
The highest recorded value was 29.9% in 1980.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in North Macedonia?
The lowest recorded value was 21.9% in 1950.
How does North Macedonia rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
North Macedonia ranks 85th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in North Macedonia?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this North Macedonia 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.