Share of population living in the capital city in United States of America
United States of America: Share of population living in the capital city was 0.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in the capital city in United States of America, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in the capital city in United States of America is 0.9%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in United States of America peaked at 0.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1950.
That places United States of America 166th out of 170 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.
Share of population living in the capital city in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.2% | — |
| 1955 | 0.3% | +25.0% |
| 1960 | 0.4% | +19.9% |
| 1965 | 0.4% | +12.5% |
| 1970 | 0.5% | +11.8% |
| 1975 | 0.5% | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 0.4% | -7.2% |
| 1985 | 0.5% | +15.6% |
| 1990 | 0.6% | +8.9% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | +17.4% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | +8.6% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | +6.2% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | +10.5% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | +4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More population data for United States of America
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.8 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0241 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 375,392 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4762 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1565 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.1% (2100)
- Population density 46.05 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 19.91 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in the capital city in United States of America?
- Share of population living in the capital city in United States of America was 0.9% 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 population living in the capital city recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1950.
- How does United States of America rank for share of population living in the capital city?
- United States of America ranks 166th out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America 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 population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.