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

Pakistan: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 9.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
9.4%
World rank
164th
of 179 countries
All-time high
11.7%
in 1950
All-time low
8.4%
in 2010
Years of data
15
1950–2020

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

02.557.51012.51950198520201950: 11.7 %1955: 11.5 %1960: 11.4 %1965: 11.3 %1970: 11.3 %1975: 11.5 %1980: 11.5 %1985: 10.6 %1990: 9.7 %1995: 9.4 %2000: 8.9 %2005: 8.5 %2010: 8.4 %2015: 8.5 %2020: 9.4 %

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

Analysis

Pakistan recorded 9.4% for share of urban population who live in the largest city in 2020.

The figure is up 12.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Pakistan peaked at 11.7% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 8.4%, in 2010.

That places Pakistan 164th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 11.6% 11.5% 11.7% 2
1960s 11.3% 11.3% 11.4% 2
1970s 11.4% 11.3% 11.5% 2
1980s 11.0% 10.6% 11.5% 2
1990s 9.5% 9.4% 9.7% 2
2000s 8.7% 8.5% 8.9% 2
2010s 8.4% 8.4% 8.5% 2
2020s 9.4% 9.4% 9.4% 1

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 161 Venezuela 10.4% compare
  2. 162 Switzerland 10.1% compare
  3. 163 Slovakia 9.8% compare
  4. 165 Algeria 8.8% compare
  5. 166 Ukraine 8.8% compare
  6. 167 Papua New Guinea 8.6% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Pakistan?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Pakistan was 9.4% 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 Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 11.7% in 1950.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 8.4% in 2010.
How does Pakistan rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Pakistan ranks 164th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Pakistan 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.