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

Poland: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 8.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
8.1%
World rank
169th
of 179 countries
All-time high
8.1%
in 2020
All-time low
6.7%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

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

024681950198520201950: 6.7 %1955: 7 %1960: 7 %1965: 7.1 %1970: 7 %1975: 7.2 %1980: 7.5 %1985: 7.2 %1990: 7.2 %1995: 7.1 %2000: 7.4 %2005: 7.5 %2010: 7.6 %2015: 7.8 %2020: 8.1 %

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

Analysis

Poland recorded 8.1% for share of urban population who live in the largest city in 2020. 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 Poland peaked at 8.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 1950.

Poland ranks 169th 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 6.8% 6.7% 7.0% 2
1960s 7.0% 7.0% 7.1% 2
1970s 7.1% 7.0% 7.2% 2
1980s 7.4% 7.2% 7.5% 2
1990s 7.1% 7.1% 7.2% 2
2000s 7.5% 7.4% 7.5% 2
2010s 7.7% 7.6% 7.8% 2
2020s 8.1% 8.1% 8.1% 1

Countries ranked near Poland

  1. 166 Ukraine 8.8% compare
  2. 167 Papua New Guinea 8.6% compare
  3. 168 Laos 8.2% compare
  4. 170 Ethiopia 7.7% compare
  5. 171 Netherlands 7.7% compare
  6. 172 Nigeria 7.0% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Poland

All data for Poland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Poland?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Poland was 8.1% 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 Poland?
The highest recorded value was 8.1% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Poland?
The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 1950.
How does Poland rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Poland ranks 169th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Poland?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Poland 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.