Statizoid

Share of population living in the capital city by country

Countries reporting
170
Highest
89.45
Bahrain
Lowest
0.3795
Tanzania
Median
16.4
Years covered
71
1950–2020
Data points
2,330

What the numbers show

Share of population living in the capital city is currently reported for 170 countries. The highest value is 89.45 in Bahrain; the lowest is 0.3795 in Tanzania.

The median across all reporting countries is 16.4, and the mean is 20.8.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 236.

Over the past decade 119 countries rose and 51 fell. The largest increase was in Equatorial Guinea (up 83.9%), and the largest decrease in Laos (down 42.9%).

Share of population living in the capital city: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Bahrain 89.45 2020 up 0.1% rising
2 Singapore 84.76 2020 down 1.9% rising
3 Kuwait 84.02 2020 up 2.4% rising
4 Qatar 70.68 2020 up 9.4% rising
5 Malta 68.72 2020 up 4.1% flat
6 Hong Kong 64.21 2020 down 0.4% rising
7 Djibouti 63.31 2020 up 11.9% rising
8 Sao Tome and Principe 62.14 2020 up 12.7% rising
9 Bahamas 62.05 2020 up 5.4% rising
10 Congo 57.25 2020 up 30.3% rising
11 Jordan 56.66 2020 up 10.9% rising
12 Iceland 53.96 2020 up 16.2% rising
13 Mongolia 44.46 2020 up 25.0% rising
14 Maldives 44.19 2020 up 25.8% rising
15 Mauritius 43.17 2020 down 1.1% rising
16 Barbados 43 2020 down 6.7% flat
17 South Korea 42.88 2020 up 1.8% rising
18 New Caledonia 42.28 2020 up 44.8% rising
19 Costa Rica 41.72 2020 up 4.6% rising
20 Suriname 40.2 2020 down 1.8% rising
21 Dominican Republic 40.07 2020 up 9.7% rising
22 Taiwan 39.02 2020 up 5.3% rising
23 Equatorial Guinea 38.72 2020 up 83.9% rising
24 Gabon 37.36 2020 up 16.6% rising
25 Armenia 36.72 2020 down 2.3% rising
26 Uruguay 36.63 2020 down 5.3% falling
27 Liberia 34.34 2020 up 12.4% rising
28 Chile 33.9 2020 down 2.8% rising
29 Panama 32.67 2020 up 9.9% rising
30 Estonia 32.43 2020 up 21.2% rising
31 French Polynesia 31.88 2020 down 1.8% falling
32 Trinidad and Tobago 31.62 2020 down 6.9% rising
33 Argentina 30.85 2020 down 4.5% rising
34 Lebanon 30.57 2020 down 9.1% falling
35 Peru 30.56 2020 up 4.2% rising
36 Greece 30.56 2020 up 0.5% rising
37 Mauritania 29.65 2020 up 12.4% rising
38 Albania 29.48 2020 up 46.1% volatile
39 Latvia 29.02 2020 up 1.9% rising
40 Guinea-Bissau 28.71 2020 up 12.6% rising
41 Japan 26.68 2020 up 5.0% rising
42 Togo 25.95 2020 down 0.0% volatile
43 El Salvador 25.59 2020 down 4.2% rising
44 East Timor 25.02 2020 up 30.5% rising
45 Fiji 24.84 2020 up 4.3% rising
46 Cyprus 24.4 2020 up 9.7% rising
47 Thailand 24.08 2020 up 27.2% rising
48 Georgia 23.63 2020 down 1.1% rising
49 Montenegro 23.61 2020 up 12.3% rising
50 Somalia 23.09 2020 up 68.6% rising
51 Luxembourg 22.73 2020 up 19.2% rising
52 Sierra Leone 22.35 2020 up 21.2% rising
53 Austria 22.16 2020 up 8.1% flat
54 Sri Lanka 22 2020 up 7.3% rising
55 Egypt 21.96 2020 up 0.7% rising
56 Ireland 21.77 2020 up 1.1% falling
57 Martinique 21.56 2020 down 20.4% falling
58 Philippines 21.43 2020 down 2.0% rising
59 Belarus 21.13 2020 up 12.1% rising
60 Jamaica 21.08 2020 down 4.7% falling
61 Senegal 21.02 2020 down 4.5% rising
62 Puerto Rico 20.97 2020 down 9.3% rising
63 Denmark 20.51 2020 up 9.3% falling
64 Saudi Arabia 20.31 2020 up 13.7% rising
65 Tunisia 20.22 2020 up 14.2% rising
66 Central African Republic 20.2 2020 up 5.8% rising
67 Paraguay 19.81 2020 down 35.5% rising
68 Comoros 19.8 2020 up 8.1% rising
69 Palestine 19.66 2020 up 0.1% rising
70 Bangladesh 19.62 2020 up 21.6% volatile
71 Colombia 19.62 2020 up 10.0% rising
72 Nicaragua 19.52 2020 down 0.5% rising
73 North Macedonia 19.13 2020 up 1.1% rising
74 Azerbaijan 18.98 2020 down 4.4% falling
75 Kyrgyzstan 18.83 2020 up 6.3% rising
76 Portugal 17.95 2020 up 9.1% rising
77 Finland 17.93 2020 up 15.1% rising
78 Cameroon 16.94 2020 up 25.0% volatile
79 Mali 16.81 2020 up 13.4% volatile
80 Hungary 16.68 2020 up 4.8% falling
81 Libya 16.65 2020 up 3.3% rising
82 Solomon Islands 16.61 2020 up 34.7% rising
83 Haiti 16.44 2020 down 19.1% rising
84 Serbia 16.44 2020 up 13.5% rising
85 Bolivia 16.43 2020 down 1.7% rising
86 Syria 16.37 2020 up 10.1% rising
87 Ghana 16.33 2020 up 5.6% rising
88 Guyana 16.23 2020 down 3.5% falling
89 Reunion 16.19 2020 up 6.1% falling
90 Croatia 15.87 2020 up 2.9% rising
91 Guatemala 15.79 2020 down 11.8% rising
92 Zambia 15.68 2020 up 17.8% rising
93 Turkmenistan 15.62 2020 up 9.6% rising
94 Norway 15.61 2020 up 6.3% rising
95 Bulgaria 15.57 2020 up 15.4% rising
96 Honduras 15.17 2020 up 21.1% rising
97 United Kingdom 14.83 2020 up 8.7% falling
98 Iraq 14.56 2020 down 5.4% rising
99 Cuba 14.52 2020 down 2.0% flat
100 Indonesia 14.22 2020 up 7.4% rising
101 France 14.18 2020 down 0.4% rising
102 Oman 14.17 2020 up 36.9% rising
103 Sweden 13.91 2020 up 12.6% rising
104 Mexico 13.89 2020 down 13.9% flat
105 Ecuador 13.85 2020 up 1.9% rising
106 Moldova 13.82 2020 up 2.2% rising
107 Sudan 13.74 2020 down 7.5% rising
108 Burkina Faso 13.68 2020 up 20.1% volatile
109 Namibia 13.45 2020 up 5.6% rising
110 Tajikistan 13.42 2020 up 9.2% flat
111 Afghanistan 13.38 2020 up 0.5% rising
112 Cambodia 13.28 2020 up 22.3% volatile
113 Lesotho 12.39 2020 up 12.3% rising
114 Madagascar 12.16 2020 up 43.1% rising
115 Zimbabwe 12.13 2020 down 17.3% rising
116 Belgium 11.97 2020 up 3.3% rising
117 Lithuania 11.79 2020 up 11.4% rising
118 Slovenia 11.63 2020 up 5.0% rising
119 Spain 11.51 2020 up 17.6% rising
120 Czechia 11.17 2020 up 4.9% rising
121 North Korea 10.98 2020 down 1.4% rising
122 Democratic Republic of Congo 10.89 2020 up 18.9% rising
123 Uzbekistan 10.86 2020 down 2.6% falling
124 Kenya 10.71 2020 up 17.9% rising
125 Nepal 10.64 2020 up 26.3% volatile
126 Iran 10.13 2020 up 1.7% rising
127 Yemen 10.11 2020 up 9.6% volatile
128 Rwanda 10.11 2020 up 29.4% volatile
129 Romania 9.96 2020 up 3.7% rising
130 Israel 9.84 2020 down 0.0% rising
131 Russia 9.75 2020 up 9.7% rising
132 Chad 9.55 2020 up 0.2% rising
133 Uganda 9.52 2020 up 9.4% rising
134 Mozambique 9.51 2020 up 7.3% rising
135 Venezuela 9.21 2020 down 13.2% falling
136 United Arab Emirates 8.25 2020 down 39.8% falling
137 Bosnia and Herzegovina 7.85 2020 down 17.1% rising
138 Bhutan 7.45 2020 down 27.7% falling
139 Algeria 7.02 2020 down 5.7% falling
140 Eritrea 6.51 2020 down 37.1% falling
141 Ukraine 6.48 2020 up 9.6% rising
142 Benin 5.72 2020 down 1.2% rising
143 Niger 5.59 2020 down 8.3% rising
144 Morocco 5.37 2020 up 0.2% rising
145 Kazakhstan 5.35 2020 up 46.4% volatile
146 Slovakia 5.24 2020 down 5.3% flat
147 Vietnam 5.16 2020 up 5.3% rising
148 Ethiopia 4.97 2020 up 21.9% rising
149 Poland 4.88 2020 up 7.0% rising
150 Netherlands 4.66 2020 up 6.0% falling
151 Malawi 4.29 2020 up 13.3% rising
152 Germany 4.23 2020 up 4.2% flat
153 Turkey 4.07 2020 up 4.0% rising
154 Papua New Guinea 3.98 2020 up 11.7% rising
155 Italy 3.96 2020 up 5.8% rising
156 South Sudan 3.18 2020 down 19.6% rising
157 New Zealand 2.9 2020 up 17.2% rising
158 South Africa 2.83 2020 up 18.5% rising
159 Laos 2.52 2020 down 42.9% flat
160 Switzerland 2.27 2020 down 8.2% falling
161 India 2.07 2020 up 11.0% rising
162 Pakistan 1.92 2020 up 3.8% rising
163 Canada 1.54 2020 up 1.9% rising
164 Burundi 1.39 2020 down 8.0% flat
165 China 1.16 2020 up 9.0% rising
166 United States 0.9024 2020 up 15.4% rising
167 Cote d'Ivoire 0.7826 2020 down 9.0% falling
168 Brazil 0.6655 2020 up 14.6% volatile
169 Nigeria 0.536 2020 up 36.6% rising
170 Tanzania 0.3795 2020 down 5.3% rising

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Share of population living in the capital city by country. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-the-capital-city/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in the capital city
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
170 places, 2,330 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed