Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Iran

Iran: Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 was 77.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
77.4%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
83rd
of 238 countries
All-time high
77.4%
in 2025
All-time low
2.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Iran, 1000–2025

020406080100015122025

Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Iran recorded 77.4% for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Iran peaked at 77.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1000.

Iran ranks 83rd of 238 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1
1100s 2.1% 2.1% 2.1% 1
1200s 2.2% 2.2% 2.2% 1
1300s 2.3% 2.3% 2.3% 1
1400s 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1
1500s 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 1
1600s 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 1
1700s 2.7% 2.7% 2.7% 1
1710s 3.1% 3.1% 3.1% 1
1720s 3.4% 3.4% 3.4% 1
1730s 3.7% 3.7% 3.7% 1
1740s 4.0% 4.0% 4.0% 1
1750s 4.4% 4.4% 4.4% 1
1760s 4.8% 4.8% 4.8% 1
1770s 5.3% 5.3% 5.3% 1
1780s 5.8% 5.8% 5.8% 1
1790s 6.3% 6.3% 6.3% 1
1800s 7.0% 7.0% 7.0% 1
1810s 7.6% 7.6% 7.6% 1
1820s 8.3% 8.3% 8.3% 1
1830s 9.1% 9.1% 9.1% 1
1840s 10.0% 10.0% 10.0% 1
1850s 11.0% 11.0% 11.0% 1
1860s 12.0% 12.0% 12.0% 1
1870s 13.1% 13.1% 13.1% 1
1880s 14.4% 14.4% 14.4% 1
1890s 15.8% 15.8% 15.8% 1
1900s 17.3% 17.3% 17.3% 1
1910s 18.9% 18.9% 18.9% 1
1920s 20.7% 20.7% 20.7% 1
1930s 22.7% 22.7% 22.7% 1
1940s 24.9% 24.9% 24.9% 1
1950s 30.3% 27.5% 33.3% 10
1960s 37.1% 34.0% 40.6% 10
1970s 45.5% 41.5% 49.2% 10
1980s 53.1% 49.9% 55.9% 10
1990s 60.0% 56.5% 63.7% 10
2000s 67.4% 64.5% 70.0% 10
2010s 73.0% 70.6% 75.2% 10
2020s 76.5% 75.6% 77.4% 6

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 80 Colombia 78.8% compare
  2. 81 Cape Verde 77.6% compare
  3. 82 Malaysia 77.4% compare
  4. 84 Cuba 77.2% compare
  5. 85 Cook Islands 76.9% compare
  6. 86 Algeria 75.8% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More population data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Iran?
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 in Iran was 77.4% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); 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 areas projected to 2050 recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 77.4% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1000.
How does Iran rank for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050?
Iran ranks 83rd out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iran data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); 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 areas projected to 2050. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 24,444 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.