Statizoid

Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas by country

Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.

Countries reporting
191
Highest
100.0%
Gibraltar
Lowest
0.0%
Guadeloupe
Median
40.2%
Years covered
71
1950–2020
Data points
3,540

What the numbers show

Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas is currently reported for 191 countries. The highest value is 100.0% in Gibraltar; the lowest is 0.0% in Guadeloupe.

The median across all reporting countries is 40.2%, and the mean is 43.1%.

Over the past decade 137 countries rose and 47 fell. The largest increase was in Oman (up 85.1%), and the largest decrease in Eswatini (down 100.0%).

Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Gibraltar 100.0% 2020 unchanged rising
1 Monaco 100.0% 2020 unchanged volatile
1 Vatican 100.0% 2020 unchanged flat
4 Singapore 99.7% 2020 down 0.0% rising
5 Macao 98.9% 2020 down 0.2% rising
6 Hong Kong 96.4% 2020 down 0.1% rising
7 Bahrain 89.4% 2020 up 0.1% volatile
8 Kuwait 88.0% 2020 up 0.4% rising
9 Congo 84.7% 2020 up 19.4% rising
10 Equatorial Guinea 83.8% 2020 up 58.9% volatile
11 Djibouti 80.9% 2020 up 0.4% volatile
12 Qatar 79.0% 2020 up 14.6% volatile
13 Taiwan 77.9% 2020 up 1.3% rising
14 South Korea 75.4% 2020 up 0.3% rising
15 United Arab Emirates 73.3% 2020 up 3.9% volatile
16 Jordan 73.1% 2020 up 9.0% rising
17 Palestine 71.0% 2020 up 9.3% rising
18 Malta 68.7% 2020 up 4.1% flat
19 Japan 68.4% 2020 down 0.5% rising
20 Israel 67.4% 2020 up 4.9% rising
21 Egypt 67.0% 2020 up 8.1% rising
22 Iraq 67.0% 2020 up 10.3% rising
23 Chile 65.2% 2020 up 2.4% rising
24 Saudi Arabia 65.1% 2020 up 8.3% volatile
25 Argentina 64.1% 2020 up 2.1% rising
26 Somalia 63.9% 2020 up 1.3% rising
27 Turkey 63.8% 2020 up 5.9% rising
28 Angola 63.2% 2020 up 14.2% rising
29 Colombia 62.3% 2020 up 5.9% rising
30 Gabon 62.2% 2020 up 10.0% volatile
31 Sao Tome and Principe 62.1% 2020 up 12.7% volatile
32 Venezuela 62.1% 2020 down 1.6% rising
33 Bahamas 62.0% 2020 up 5.4% volatile
34 Dominican Republic 61.1% 2020 up 2.6% rising
35 Iran 60.6% 2020 up 3.0% rising
36 Curacao 59.6% 2020 — volatile
37 North Korea 58.9% 2020 down 5.0% rising
38 United Kingdom 57.4% 2020 up 3.6% flat
39 Peru 56.0% 2020 up 4.3% rising
40 Malaysia 55.0% 2020 up 12.8% volatile
41 Belarus 55.0% 2020 up 8.8% rising
42 Bolivia 54.5% 2020 up 7.9% rising
43 Ecuador 54.3% 2020 up 7.2% rising
44 Gambia 54.0% 2020 up 18.3% volatile
45 Iceland 54.0% 2020 up 16.2% rising
46 Brazil 53.9% 2020 up 3.8% rising
47 Mexico 53.6% 2020 down 2.6% rising
48 Cameroon 53.5% 2020 up 3.3% rising
49 Indonesia 53.0% 2020 up 1.4% rising
50 Uruguay 52.7% 2020 down 1.6% rising
51 Canada 52.1% 2020 up 4.8% rising
52 Morocco 51.9% 2020 up 6.6% rising
53 Jersey 51.3% 2020 — volatile
54 Spain 51.2% 2020 up 8.2% rising
55 Lebanon 50.5% 2020 down 0.5% rising
56 Cyprus 50.1% 2020 up 21.5% rising
57 Senegal 48.9% 2020 up 1.8% rising
58 Nigeria 48.9% 2020 up 5.5% rising
59 Australia 48.9% 2020 up 11.0% rising
60 Ghana 48.9% 2020 up 13.5% volatile
61 South Africa 48.8% 2020 up 15.0% rising
62 Democratic Republic of Congo 48.7% 2020 up 8.9% rising
63 Panama 48.6% 2020 up 11.3% volatile
64 Bangladesh 47.6% 2020 up 8.5% rising
65 Russia 47.6% 2020 up 0.9% rising
66 Sudan 47.6% 2020 down 5.5% rising
67 Costa Rica 47.5% 2020 up 3.0% rising
68 Mongolia 47.2% 2020 up 24.2% volatile
69 Togo 46.8% 2020 up 5.3% volatile
70 Comoros 46.6% 2020 up 1.2% volatile
71 Syria 46.6% 2020 down 7.6% rising
72 Cuba 46.4% 2020 down 2.0% rising
73 Yemen 46.4% 2020 up 18.0% volatile
74 Netherlands 46.3% 2020 up 6.7% rising
75 Jamaica 46.1% 2020 down 0.2% flat
76 Greece 46.0% 2020 down 0.3% rising
77 New Zealand 45.8% 2020 up 27.9% rising
78 Trinidad and Tobago 45.7% 2020 down 3.6% rising
79 Pakistan 45.5% 2020 up 0.5% rising
80 Libya 45.0% 2020 up 0.7% rising
81 Tunisia 44.8% 2020 up 15.7% rising
82 Ukraine 44.8% 2020 down 0.4% rising
83 Liberia 44.5% 2020 up 20.3% volatile
84 Albania 44.3% 2020 up 21.3% volatile
85 Maldives 44.2% 2020 up 25.8% volatile
86 Kazakhstan 43.9% 2020 up 17.0% rising
87 China 43.5% 2020 up 8.2% rising
88 Mauritius 43.2% 2020 down 1.1% rising
89 Barbados 43.0% 2020 down 6.7% flat
90 Algeria 42.9% 2020 up 12.1% rising
91 El Salvador 42.8% 2020 down 0.7% rising
92 New Caledonia 42.3% 2020 up 44.8% volatile
93 Armenia 41.7% 2020 down 5.0% rising
94 Uzbekistan 41.6% 2020 up 9.2% rising
95 Philippines 41.5% 2020 up 5.7% rising
96 Suriname 40.2% 2020 down 1.8% volatile
97 Azerbaijan 39.9% 2020 up 10.9% rising
98 Benin 39.9% 2020 up 18.5% rising
99 Afghanistan 39.7% 2020 up 17.0% rising
100 Honduras 39.6% 2020 up 23.4% rising
101 Cape Verde 39.5% 2020 up 5.4% volatile
102 India 39.5% 2020 down 0.1% rising
103 Reunion 39.3% 2020 up 1.1% volatile
104 Vietnam 39.3% 2020 up 13.4% rising
105 Eritrea 39.2% 2020 up 0.6% rising
106 Western Sahara 39.0% 2020 up 24.8% volatile
107 Sierra Leone 38.7% 2020 up 16.0% rising
108 Estonia 38.5% 2020 up 15.7% rising
109 Oman 38.4% 2020 up 85.1% volatile
110 Cote d'Ivoire 38.2% 2020 up 7.8% rising
111 Myanmar 38.1% 2020 down 0.1% rising
112 Haiti 37.8% 2020 up 3.0% rising
113 Mauritania 37.7% 2020 up 28.3% volatile
114 Zambia 36.9% 2020 up 9.7% volatile
115 Guinea-Bissau 35.9% 2020 up 10.4% volatile
116 Portugal 35.6% 2020 up 6.4% rising
117 Mayotte 35.5% 2020 up 2.1% volatile
118 Paraguay 35.4% 2020 down 14.7% rising
119 Sri Lanka 35.1% 2020 up 12.8% rising
120 Latvia 35.0% 2020 down 1.0% rising
121 Nicaragua 34.9% 2020 down 3.9% rising
122 Guinea 34.5% 2020 up 6.2% volatile
123 United States 34.4% 2020 up 17.6% rising
124 France 34.3% 2020 down 1.8% rising
125 Italy 34.3% 2020 up 2.9% rising
126 Thailand 34.2% 2020 up 21.9% volatile
127 Germany 34.2% 2020 up 6.8% rising
128 Serbia 33.9% 2020 up 4.1% rising
129 Georgia 33.6% 2020 down 4.8% rising
130 Austria 32.6% 2020 up 10.3% flat
131 Sweden 32.0% 2020 up 16.6% rising
132 French Polynesia 31.9% 2020 down 1.8% volatile
133 South Sudan 31.8% 2020 up 23.2% volatile
134 Switzerland 31.7% 2020 up 12.0% rising
135 Turkmenistan 31.4% 2020 up 7.8% rising
136 Guatemala 31.1% 2020 up 1.0% rising
137 Bulgaria 31.0% 2020 up 2.7% rising
138 Chad 31.0% 2020 down 7.9% volatile
139 Romania 30.9% 2020 down 4.4% rising
140 Fiji 30.7% 2020 up 3.4% volatile
141 Tajikistan 30.6% 2020 up 22.8% rising
142 Kyrgyzstan 30.6% 2020 up 1.9% rising
143 Belgium 30.5% 2020 up 1.5% rising
144 Lithuania 29.7% 2020 down 6.7% rising
145 Ireland 29.5% 2020 down 0.9% falling
146 Denmark 29.4% 2020 up 9.6% flat
147 Guyana 28.6% 2020 up 0.2% rising
148 Poland 28.6% 2020 down 2.9% rising
149 Brunei 28.5% 2020 — volatile
150 North Macedonia 28.4% 2020 down 8.9% rising
151 Puerto Rico 28.2% 2020 down 9.2% rising
152 Croatia 27.5% 2020 up 2.8% rising
153 Mozambique 27.4% 2020 up 7.3% volatile
154 Hungary 27.3% 2020 up 1.8% falling
155 Finland 26.1% 2020 up 10.6% rising
156 Mali 25.8% 2020 up 16.4% volatile
157 Norway 25.3% 2020 up 16.2% rising
158 Central African Republic 25.1% 2020 up 15.0% rising
159 East Timor 25.0% 2020 up 30.5% volatile
160 Burkina Faso 25.0% 2020 up 17.1% volatile
161 Ethiopia 24.6% 2020 up 21.3% volatile
162 French Guiana 24.0% 2020 up 0.7% volatile
163 Montenegro 23.6% 2020 down 21.8% rising
164 Niger 23.5% 2020 down 10.1% volatile
165 Tanzania 23.1% 2020 up 21.6% volatile
166 Kenya 23.0% 2020 up 27.6% volatile
167 Luxembourg 22.7% 2020 up 19.2% rising
168 Moldova 22.3% 2020 down 9.5% rising
169 Czechia 22.2% 2020 up 1.1% rising
170 Zimbabwe 21.8% 2020 down 11.9% rising
171 Martinique 21.6% 2020 down 20.4% falling
172 Namibia 20.5% 2020 up 60.9% volatile
173 Cambodia 19.8% 2020 up 28.9% volatile
174 Botswana 19.4% 2020 up 69.6% volatile
175 Belize 18.5% 2020 down 8.6% volatile
176 Nepal 18.5% 2020 up 17.1% volatile
177 Madagascar 18.3% 2020 up 52.6% volatile
178 Bhutan 16.9% 2020 down 17.4% volatile
179 Solomon Islands 16.6% 2020 up 34.7% volatile
180 Bosnia and Herzegovina 16.2% 2020 down 10.3% rising
181 Slovenia 15.5% 2020 up 2.5% rising
182 Burundi 15.4% 2020 up 4.4% volatile
183 Uganda 14.8% 2020 up 18.6% volatile
184 Slovakia 14.2% 2020 down 14.3% rising
185 Rwanda 14.0% 2020 up 18.5% volatile
186 Lesotho 12.4% 2020 up 12.3% volatile
187 Papua New Guinea 11.0% 2020 up 12.1% volatile
188 Malawi 10.8% 2020 up 12.5% volatile
189 Laos 4.5% 2020 down 28.7% rising
190 Eswatini 0.0% 2020 down 100.0% volatile
190 Guadeloupe 0.0% 2020 — volatile

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Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas by country. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-cities-towns-and-villages/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.