Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Viet Nam
Viet Nam: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas was 39.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Viet Nam, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Viet Nam stood at 39.3%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Viet Nam peaked at 39.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 1950.
That places Viet Nam 104th out of 236 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 population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Viet Nam, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 11.5% | — |
| 1955 | 12.2% | +6.3% |
| 1960 | 13.3% | +9.1% |
| 1965 | 15.1% | +13.8% |
| 1970 | 16.9% | +11.5% |
| 1975 | 19.9% | +17.9% |
| 1980 | 21.3% | +7.2% |
| 1985 | 23.0% | +7.8% |
| 1990 | 24.2% | +5.2% |
| 1995 | 26.8% | +11.1% |
| 2000 | 29.2% | +8.8% |
| 2005 | 31.0% | +6.2% |
| 2010 | 34.6% | +11.6% |
| 2015 | 37.5% | +8.4% |
| 2020 | 39.3% | +4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 11.8% | 11.5% | 12.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 14.2% | 13.3% | 15.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 18.4% | 16.9% | 19.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 22.1% | 21.3% | 23.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 25.5% | 24.2% | 26.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 30.1% | 29.2% | 31.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 36.1% | 34.6% | 37.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 39.3% | 39.3% | 39.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Viet Nam
- 101 Cape Verde 39.5% compare
- 102 India 39.5% compare
- 103 Réunion 39.3% compare
- 105 Eritrea 39.2% compare
- 106 Western Sahara 39.0% compare
- 107 Sierra Leone 38.7% compare
More population data for Viet Nam
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.5387 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.4983 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.5387 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.4775 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.531 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Population density 292.59 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.95 million people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 1.49 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Viet Nam?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Viet Nam was 39.3% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Viet Nam?
- The highest recorded value was 39.3% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Viet Nam?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 1950.
- How does Viet Nam rank for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Viet Nam ranks 104th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Viet Nam?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Viet Nam data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas. 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
Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.