Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palestine
Palestine: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 87.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
87.4%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
51st
of 236 countries
All-time high
87.4%
in 2025
All-time low
37.3%
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palestine, 1950–2025
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palestine stood at 87.4%. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palestine peaked at 87.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 37.3%, in 1950.
That places Palestine 51st out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palestine, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 37.3% | — |
| 1951 | 37.9% | +1.6% |
| 1952 | 38.5% | +1.6% |
| 1953 | 39.2% | +1.6% |
| 1954 | 39.8% | +1.7% |
| 1955 | 40.5% | +1.7% |
| 1956 | 41.2% | +1.7% |
| 1957 | 41.9% | +1.7% |
| 1958 | 42.6% | +1.8% |
| 1959 | 43.4% | +1.8% |
| 1960 | 44.2% | +1.8% |
| 1961 | 45.0% | +1.8% |
| 1962 | 45.9% | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 46.9% | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 48.0% | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 49.1% | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 50.3% | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 51.5% | +2.4% |
| 1968 | 52.7% | +2.3% |
| 1969 | 53.9% | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 55.0% | +2.1% |
| 1971 | 56.1% | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 57.1% | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 58.1% | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 58.9% | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 59.6% | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 60.2% | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 60.7% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 61.2% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 61.7% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 62.1% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 62.4% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 62.8% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 63.1% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 63.4% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 63.7% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 64.1% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 64.4% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 64.7% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 65.0% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 65.3% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 65.7% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 66.1% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 66.5% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 67.0% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 67.5% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 68.1% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 68.7% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 69.5% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 70.6% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 72.1% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 73.7% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 75.5% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 77.3% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 79.0% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 80.5% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 81.8% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 82.6% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 83.1% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 83.5% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 83.9% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 84.2% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 84.5% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 84.8% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 85.0% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 85.2% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 85.3% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 85.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 85.5% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 85.8% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 86.1% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 86.3% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 86.6% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 86.9% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 87.1% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 87.4% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 40.2% | 37.3% | 43.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 48.7% | 44.2% | 53.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 58.9% | 55.0% | 61.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 63.6% | 62.1% | 65.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 67.5% | 65.3% | 70.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.9% | 72.1% | 83.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.0% | 83.9% | 85.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.7% | 86.1% | 87.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Palestine
- 48 Libya 87.9% compare
- 49 Australia 87.7% compare
- 50 Belgium 87.7% compare
- 52 Western Sahara 86.9% compare
- 53 French Guiana 86.6% compare
- 54 United Arab Emirates 86.0% compare
More population data for Palestine
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.0758 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -3.21 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.0758 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.1948 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5205 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.1% (2100)
- Population density 1,906 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 600,680 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.1% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 2.02 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palestine?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Palestine was 87.4% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Palestine?
- The highest recorded value was 87.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Palestine?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.3% in 1950.
- How does Palestine rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Palestine ranks 51st out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Palestine?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Palestine data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.