Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita in (UN M49)
(UN M49): Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita was 69.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita in (UN M49), 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
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in (UN M49) is 69.3%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in (UN M49) peaked at 69.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 24.3%, in 1950.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita in (UN M49), year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 24.3% | — |
| 1951 | 25.2% | +3.3% |
| 1952 | 26.5% | +5.2% |
| 1953 | 28.8% | +8.9% |
| 1954 | 31.3% | +8.7% |
| 1955 | 31.8% | +1.4% |
| 1956 | 31.6% | -0.5% |
| 1957 | 31.1% | -1.5% |
| 1958 | 31.1% | -0.0% |
| 1959 | 40.4% | +29.7% |
| 1960 | 47.2% | +16.9% |
| 1961 | 48.3% | +2.3% |
| 1962 | 49.4% | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 50.5% | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 51.5% | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 52.3% | +1.7% |
| 1966 | 53.2% | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 53.9% | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 54.4% | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 54.8% | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 55.2% | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 55.8% | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 56.4% | +1.1% |
| 1973 | 56.8% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 57.1% | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 57.5% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 58.0% | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 58.5% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 58.8% | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 58.9% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 59.0% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 59.3% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 59.7% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 60.1% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 60.5% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 60.9% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 61.3% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 61.7% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 62.0% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 62.3% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 62.6% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 62.7% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 62.8% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 62.9% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 62.9% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 63.1% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 63.4% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 63.9% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 64.4% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 64.9% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 65.3% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 65.4% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 65.4% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 65.5% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 65.6% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 65.7% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 65.8% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 66.0% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 66.3% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 66.6% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 66.8% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 66.9% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 66.9% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 67.0% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 67.0% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 67.0% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 67.1% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 67.2% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 67.4% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 67.7% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 68.1% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 68.4% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 68.6% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 68.8% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 69.0% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 69.3% | +0.3% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita in (UN M49) changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | +29.7% | 31.1% | 40.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 30.2% | 24.3% | 40.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 51.6% | 47.2% | 54.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 57.3% | 55.2% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 60.7% | 59.0% | 62.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 63.3% | 62.6% | 64.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.8% | 65.3% | 66.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 67.1% | 66.8% | 67.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.7% | 68.1% | 69.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near (UN M49)
- 1 Anguilla 100.0% compare
- 1 Bahrain 100.0% compare
- 1 Bermuda 100.0% compare
- 1 Cayman Islands 100.0% compare
- 1 Gibraltar 100.0% compare
- 1 Hong Kong 100.0% compare
- 1 Kuwait 100.0% compare
- 1 Macao 100.0% compare
- 1 Monaco 100.0% compare
- 1 Nauru 100.0% compare
- 1 Saint Barthelemy 100.0% compare
- 1 Saint Martin (French part) 100.0% compare
- 1 Singapore 100.0% compare
- 1 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 100.0% compare
- 1 Vatican 100.0% compare
More population data for (UN M49)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2050)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 0.6697 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban and rural population projected to 2050 148,464 people (2050)
- Share of population living in urban areas 69.3% (2025)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas 366,165 people (2025)
- Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 69.3% (2025)
- Annual growth rate of urban population share 0.3% (2025)
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas 69.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in (UN M49)?
- Share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in (UN M49) was 69.3% 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 areas vs. gdp per capita recorded in (UN M49)?
- The highest recorded value was 69.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita recorded in (UN M49)?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.3% in 1950.
- How does (UN M49) rank for share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita?
- (UN M49) ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 2025.
- Is share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in (UN M49)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this (UN M49) 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 areas vs. GDP per capita. 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.