Share of the population living in cities in Australia
Australia: Share of the population living in cities was 48.86 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
48.86
World rank
59th
of 229 countries
All-time high
48.86
in 2020
All-time low
28.53
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020
Share of the population living in cities in Australia, 1950–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 48.86 for share of the population living in cities in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population living in cities in Australia peaked at 48.86 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 28.53, in 1950.
Australia ranks 59th of 229 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of the population living in cities in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 28.53 | — |
| 1955 | 28.77 | +0.8% |
| 1960 | 29.79 | +3.5% |
| 1965 | 30.81 | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 32.57 | +5.7% |
| 1975 | 33.88 | +4.0% |
| 1980 | 35.68 | +5.3% |
| 1985 | 37.56 | +5.3% |
| 1990 | 38.37 | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 41.63 | +8.5% |
| 2000 | 40.59 | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 41.68 | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 44.04 | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 46.43 | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 48.86 | +5.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 28.65 | 28.53 | 28.77 | 2 |
| 1960s | 30.3 | 29.79 | 30.81 | 2 |
| 1970s | 33.22 | 32.57 | 33.88 | 2 |
| 1980s | 36.62 | 35.68 | 37.56 | 2 |
| 1990s | 40 | 38.37 | 41.63 | 2 |
| 2000s | 41.13 | 40.59 | 41.68 | 2 |
| 2010s | 45.23 | 44.04 | 46.43 | 2 |
| 2020s | 48.86 | 48.86 | 48.86 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More population data for Australia
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2553 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 32,193 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8589 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.2773 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.503 (2100)
- Population density 5.61 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 2.09 million (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.503 (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 0.859 % change on previous year (2030)
- Fertility and wanted fertility, annual growth rate -1.2 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population living in cities in Australia?
- Share of the population living in cities in Australia was 48.86 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population living in cities recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 48.86 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population living in cities recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.53 in 1950.
- How does Australia rank for share of the population living in cities?
- Australia ranks 59th out of 229 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population living in cities rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population living in cities. 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).