Share of population living in the capital city by country
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.
Countries reporting
170
Highest
89.4%
Bahrain
Lowest
0.4%
Tanzania, United Republic of
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 89.4% in Bahrain; the lowest is 0.4% in Tanzania, United Republic of.
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 Lao People's Democratic Republic (down 42.9%).
Share of population living in the capital city: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahrain | 89.4% | 2020 | up 0.1% | rising |
| 2 | Singapore | 84.8% | 2020 | down 1.9% | rising |
| 3 | Kuwait | 84.0% | 2020 | up 2.4% | rising |
| 4 | Qatar | 70.7% | 2020 | up 9.4% | rising |
| 5 | Malta | 68.7% | 2020 | up 4.1% | flat |
| 6 | Hong Kong | 64.2% | 2020 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 7 | Djibouti | 63.3% | 2020 | up 11.9% | rising |
| 8 | Sao Tome and Principe | 62.1% | 2020 | up 12.7% | rising |
| 9 | Bahamas | 62.0% | 2020 | up 5.4% | rising |
| 10 | Congo | 57.3% | 2020 | up 30.3% | rising |
| 11 | Jordan | 56.7% | 2020 | up 10.9% | rising |
| 12 | Iceland | 54.0% | 2020 | up 16.2% | rising |
| 13 | Mongolia | 44.5% | 2020 | up 25.0% | rising |
| 14 | Maldives | 44.2% | 2020 | up 25.8% | rising |
| 15 | Mauritius | 43.2% | 2020 | down 1.1% | rising |
| 16 | Barbados | 43.0% | 2020 | down 6.7% | flat |
| 17 | Republic of Korea | 42.9% | 2020 | up 1.8% | rising |
| 18 | New Caledonia | 42.3% | 2020 | up 44.8% | rising |
| 19 | Costa Rica | 41.7% | 2020 | up 4.6% | rising |
| 20 | Suriname | 40.2% | 2020 | down 1.8% | rising |
| 21 | Dominican Republic | 40.1% | 2020 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 22 | Taiwan | 39.0% | 2020 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 23 | Equatorial Guinea | 38.7% | 2020 | up 83.9% | rising |
| 24 | Gabon | 37.4% | 2020 | up 16.6% | rising |
| 25 | Armenia | 36.7% | 2020 | down 2.3% | rising |
| 26 | Uruguay | 36.6% | 2020 | down 5.3% | falling |
| 27 | Liberia | 34.3% | 2020 | up 12.4% | rising |
| 28 | Chile | 33.9% | 2020 | down 2.8% | rising |
| 29 | Panama | 32.7% | 2020 | up 9.9% | rising |
| 30 | Estonia | 32.4% | 2020 | up 21.2% | rising |
| 31 | French Polynesia | 31.9% | 2020 | down 1.8% | falling |
| 32 | Trinidad and Tobago | 31.6% | 2020 | down 6.9% | rising |
| 33 | Argentina | 30.8% | 2020 | down 4.5% | rising |
| 34 | Lebanon | 30.6% | 2020 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 35 | Peru | 30.6% | 2020 | up 4.2% | rising |
| 36 | Greece | 30.6% | 2020 | up 0.5% | rising |
| 37 | Mauritania | 29.6% | 2020 | up 12.4% | rising |
| 38 | Albania | 29.5% | 2020 | up 46.1% | volatile |
| 39 | Latvia | 29.0% | 2020 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 40 | Guinea-Bissau | 28.7% | 2020 | up 12.6% | rising |
| 41 | Japan | 26.7% | 2020 | up 5.0% | rising |
| 42 | Togo | 25.9% | 2020 | down 0.0% | volatile |
| 43 | El Salvador | 25.6% | 2020 | down 4.2% | rising |
| 44 | Timor-Leste | 25.0% | 2020 | up 30.5% | rising |
| 45 | Fiji | 24.8% | 2020 | up 4.3% | rising |
| 46 | Cyprus | 24.4% | 2020 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 47 | Thailand | 24.1% | 2020 | up 27.2% | rising |
| 48 | Georgia | 23.6% | 2020 | down 1.1% | rising |
| 49 | Montenegro | 23.6% | 2020 | up 12.3% | rising |
| 50 | Somalia | 23.1% | 2020 | up 68.6% | rising |
| 51 | Luxembourg | 22.7% | 2020 | up 19.2% | rising |
| 52 | Sierra Leone | 22.4% | 2020 | up 21.2% | rising |
| 53 | Austria | 22.2% | 2020 | up 8.1% | flat |
| 54 | Sri Lanka | 22.0% | 2020 | up 7.3% | rising |
| 55 | Egypt | 22.0% | 2020 | up 0.7% | rising |
| 56 | Ireland | 21.8% | 2020 | up 1.1% | falling |
| 57 | Martinique | 21.6% | 2020 | down 20.4% | falling |
| 58 | Philippines | 21.4% | 2020 | down 2.0% | rising |
| 59 | Belarus | 21.1% | 2020 | up 12.1% | rising |
| 60 | Jamaica | 21.1% | 2020 | down 4.7% | falling |
| 61 | Senegal | 21.0% | 2020 | down 4.5% | rising |
| 62 | Puerto Rico | 21.0% | 2020 | down 9.3% | rising |
| 63 | Denmark | 20.5% | 2020 | up 9.3% | falling |
| 64 | Saudi Arabia | 20.3% | 2020 | up 13.7% | rising |
| 65 | Tunisia | 20.2% | 2020 | up 14.2% | rising |
| 66 | Central African Republic | 20.2% | 2020 | up 5.8% | rising |
| 67 | Paraguay | 19.8% | 2020 | down 35.5% | rising |
| 68 | Comoros | 19.8% | 2020 | up 8.1% | rising |
| 69 | Palestine, State of | 19.7% | 2020 | up 0.1% | rising |
| 70 | Bangladesh | 19.6% | 2020 | up 21.6% | volatile |
| 71 | Colombia | 19.6% | 2020 | up 10.0% | rising |
| 72 | Nicaragua | 19.5% | 2020 | down 0.5% | rising |
| 73 | North Macedonia | 19.1% | 2020 | up 1.1% | rising |
| 74 | Azerbaijan | 19.0% | 2020 | down 4.4% | falling |
| 75 | Kyrgyzstan | 18.8% | 2020 | up 6.3% | rising |
| 76 | Portugal | 18.0% | 2020 | up 9.1% | rising |
| 77 | Finland | 17.9% | 2020 | up 15.1% | rising |
| 78 | Cameroon | 16.9% | 2020 | up 25.0% | volatile |
| 79 | Mali | 16.8% | 2020 | up 13.4% | volatile |
| 80 | Hungary | 16.7% | 2020 | up 4.8% | falling |
| 81 | Libya | 16.7% | 2020 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 82 | Solomon Islands | 16.6% | 2020 | up 34.7% | rising |
| 83 | Haiti | 16.4% | 2020 | down 19.1% | rising |
| 84 | Serbia | 16.4% | 2020 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 85 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 16.4% | 2020 | down 1.7% | rising |
| 86 | Syria | 16.4% | 2020 | up 10.1% | rising |
| 87 | Ghana | 16.3% | 2020 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 88 | Guyana | 16.2% | 2020 | down 3.5% | falling |
| 89 | Reunion | 16.2% | 2020 | up 6.1% | falling |
| 90 | Croatia | 15.9% | 2020 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 91 | Guatemala | 15.8% | 2020 | down 11.8% | rising |
| 92 | Zambia | 15.7% | 2020 | up 17.8% | rising |
| 93 | Turkmenistan | 15.6% | 2020 | up 9.6% | rising |
| 94 | Norway | 15.6% | 2020 | up 6.3% | rising |
| 95 | Bulgaria | 15.6% | 2020 | up 15.4% | rising |
| 96 | Honduras | 15.2% | 2020 | up 21.1% | rising |
| 97 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 14.8% | 2020 | up 8.7% | falling |
| 98 | Iraq | 14.6% | 2020 | down 5.4% | rising |
| 99 | Cuba | 14.5% | 2020 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 100 | Indonesia | 14.2% | 2020 | up 7.4% | rising |
| 101 | France | 14.2% | 2020 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 102 | Oman | 14.2% | 2020 | up 36.9% | rising |
| 103 | Sweden | 13.9% | 2020 | up 12.6% | rising |
| 104 | Mexico | 13.9% | 2020 | down 13.9% | flat |
| 105 | Ecuador | 13.8% | 2020 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 106 | Republic of Moldova | 13.8% | 2020 | up 2.2% | rising |
| 107 | Sudan | 13.7% | 2020 | down 7.5% | rising |
| 108 | Burkina Faso | 13.7% | 2020 | up 20.1% | volatile |
| 109 | Namibia | 13.4% | 2020 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 110 | Tajikistan | 13.4% | 2020 | up 9.2% | flat |
| 111 | Afghanistan | 13.4% | 2020 | up 0.5% | rising |
| 112 | Cambodia | 13.3% | 2020 | up 22.3% | volatile |
| 113 | Lesotho | 12.4% | 2020 | up 12.3% | rising |
| 114 | Madagascar | 12.2% | 2020 | up 43.1% | rising |
| 115 | Zimbabwe | 12.1% | 2020 | down 17.3% | rising |
| 116 | Belgium | 12.0% | 2020 | up 3.3% | rising |
| 117 | Lithuania | 11.8% | 2020 | up 11.4% | rising |
| 118 | Slovenia | 11.6% | 2020 | up 5.0% | rising |
| 119 | Spain | 11.5% | 2020 | up 17.6% | rising |
| 120 | Czechia | 11.2% | 2020 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 121 | North Korea | 11.0% | 2020 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 122 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 10.9% | 2020 | up 18.9% | rising |
| 123 | Uzbekistan | 10.9% | 2020 | down 2.6% | falling |
| 124 | Kenya | 10.7% | 2020 | up 17.9% | rising |
| 125 | Nepal | 10.6% | 2020 | up 26.3% | volatile |
| 126 | Iran | 10.1% | 2020 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 127 | Yemen | 10.1% | 2020 | up 9.6% | volatile |
| 128 | Rwanda | 10.1% | 2020 | up 29.4% | volatile |
| 129 | Romania | 10.0% | 2020 | up 3.7% | rising |
| 130 | Israel | 9.8% | 2020 | down 0.0% | rising |
| 131 | Russian Federation | 9.7% | 2020 | up 9.7% | rising |
| 132 | Chad | 9.6% | 2020 | up 0.2% | rising |
| 133 | Uganda | 9.5% | 2020 | up 9.4% | rising |
| 134 | Mozambique | 9.5% | 2020 | up 7.3% | rising |
| 135 | Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 9.2% | 2020 | down 13.2% | falling |
| 136 | United Arab Emirates | 8.3% | 2020 | down 39.8% | falling |
| 137 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 7.9% | 2020 | down 17.1% | rising |
| 138 | Bhutan | 7.4% | 2020 | down 27.7% | falling |
| 139 | Algeria | 7.0% | 2020 | down 5.7% | falling |
| 140 | Eritrea | 6.5% | 2020 | down 37.1% | falling |
| 141 | Ukraine | 6.5% | 2020 | up 9.6% | rising |
| 142 | Benin | 5.7% | 2020 | down 1.2% | rising |
| 143 | Niger | 5.6% | 2020 | down 8.3% | rising |
| 144 | Morocco | 5.4% | 2020 | up 0.2% | rising |
| 145 | Kazakhstan | 5.3% | 2020 | up 46.4% | volatile |
| 146 | Slovakia | 5.2% | 2020 | down 5.3% | flat |
| 147 | Viet Nam | 5.2% | 2020 | up 5.3% | rising |
| 148 | Ethiopia | 5.0% | 2020 | up 21.9% | rising |
| 149 | Poland | 4.9% | 2020 | up 7.0% | rising |
| 150 | Netherlands | 4.7% | 2020 | up 6.0% | falling |
| 151 | Malawi | 4.3% | 2020 | up 13.3% | rising |
| 152 | Germany | 4.2% | 2020 | up 4.2% | flat |
| 153 | Türkiye | 4.1% | 2020 | up 4.0% | rising |
| 154 | Papua New Guinea | 4.0% | 2020 | up 11.7% | rising |
| 155 | Italy | 4.0% | 2020 | up 5.8% | rising |
| 156 | South Sudan | 3.2% | 2020 | down 19.6% | rising |
| 157 | New Zealand | 2.9% | 2020 | up 17.2% | rising |
| 158 | South Africa | 2.8% | 2020 | up 18.5% | rising |
| 159 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 2.5% | 2020 | down 42.9% | flat |
| 160 | Switzerland | 2.3% | 2020 | down 8.2% | falling |
| 161 | India | 2.1% | 2020 | up 11.0% | rising |
| 162 | Pakistan | 1.9% | 2020 | up 3.8% | rising |
| 163 | Canada | 1.5% | 2020 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 164 | Burundi | 1.4% | 2020 | down 8.0% | flat |
| 165 | China | 1.2% | 2020 | up 9.0% | rising |
| 166 | United States | 0.9% | 2020 | up 15.4% | rising |
| 167 | Côte d'Ivoire | 0.8% | 2020 | down 9.0% | falling |
| 168 | Brazil | 0.7% | 2020 | up 14.6% | volatile |
| 169 | Nigeria | 0.5% | 2020 | up 36.6% | rising |
| 170 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 0.4% | 2020 | down 5.3% | rising |
About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.