Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sweden
Sweden: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 20.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sweden, 1950–2020
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 Sweden stood at 20.2%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sweden peaked at 20.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 13.8%, in 1950.
That places Sweden 117th 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.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 13.8% | — |
| 1955 | 13.9% | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 14.1% | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 15.7% | +11.2% |
| 1970 | 16.2% | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 15.2% | -5.8% |
| 1980 | 15.2% | -0.6% |
| 1985 | 15.4% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 15.5% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 16.7% | +7.7% |
| 2000 | 17.2% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 17.3% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 18.5% | +6.8% |
| 2015 | 19.3% | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 20.2% | +4.7% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 20.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 29.2%, 69% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 20.2% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 24.1%, 84% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.9% | 13.8% | 13.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 14.9% | 14.1% | 15.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 15.7% | 15.2% | 16.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 15.3% | 15.2% | 15.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 16.1% | 15.5% | 16.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.3% | 17.2% | 17.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 18.5% | 19.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 20.2% | 20.2% | 20.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More population data for Sweden
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.1458 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.7238 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.1% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 479,660 people (2100)
- Population density 27.91 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.1% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1484 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4642 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sweden?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Sweden was 20.2% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 20.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.8% in 1950.
- How does Sweden rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Sweden ranks 117th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.