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

Vietnam: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 15.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
15.4%
World rank
139th
of 179 countries
All-time high
15.4%
in 2020
All-time low
7.0%
in 1970
Years of data
15
1950–2020

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

0510151950198520201950: 8.1 %1955: 7.5 %1960: 7.1 %1965: 7 %1970: 7 %1975: 7.2 %1980: 7.5 %1985: 7.3 %1990: 7.3 %1995: 8.3 %2000: 9.3 %2005: 10.7 %2010: 12.4 %2015: 14 %2020: 15.4 %

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

Analysis

Vietnam recorded 15.4% for share of urban population who live in the largest city in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 23.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Vietnam peaked at 15.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 1970.

That places Vietnam 139th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it 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 7.8% 7.5% 8.1% 2
1960s 7.1% 7.0% 7.1% 2
1970s 7.1% 7.0% 7.2% 2
1980s 7.4% 7.3% 7.5% 2
1990s 7.8% 7.3% 8.3% 2
2000s 10.0% 9.3% 10.7% 2
2010s 13.2% 12.4% 14.0% 2
2020s 15.4% 15.4% 15.4% 1

Countries ranked near Vietnam

  1. 136 Tajikistan 16.2% compare
  2. 137 Afghanistan 15.9% compare
  3. 138 Eritrea 15.4% compare
  4. 140 Bosnia and Herzegovina 15.3% compare
  5. 141 Belgium 15.3% compare
  6. 142 Morocco 15.0% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Vietnam

All data for Vietnam →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Vietnam?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Vietnam was 15.4% 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 Vietnam?
The highest recorded value was 15.4% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Vietnam?
The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 1970.
How does Vietnam rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Vietnam ranks 139th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Vietnam?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Vietnam 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.