Home › Indicators › Urban population
Urban population
What this indicator measures
Share of the population living in cities, as a percentage. The definition of an urban area is set by each country, so it varies from one country to another.
How to read this?
A value of 80% means 80 out of 100 inhabitants live in an urban area.
Ranking : ranked from highest to lowest
In brief
The "Urban population" ranking covers 213 countries and territories. Lowest value: Liechtenstein (14.6 %). Highest value: Bahrain (100 %). Median: 64.2 % (data: 2025). The top 10% of countries exceed 94 %, while the bottom 10% stay below 31 %. By continent, the median is highest in South America (82.2 %) and lowest in Africa (45.9 %).
Median by continent
- South America 82.2 % (12)
- North America 73.3 % (34)
- Europe 70.7 % (46)
- Asia 66.1 % (48)
- Oceania 65.4 % (19)
- Africa 45.9 % (51)
Why this indicator matters
The share of urban population shows where and how inhabitants live. It influences needs for housing, transport, services and jobs.
What makes this indicator vary
It depends on rural exodus, industrialization, services, geography, planning policies and how localities are classified as "urban".
Reading precautions
Each country defines for itself what an urban area is, so comparisons are approximate. Values come from UN estimates.
Full ranking
ranked from highest to lowest
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1er | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 100 % | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇧🇲 Bermuda | 100 % | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇾 Cayman Islands | 100 % | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | 100 % | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | 100 % | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇴 Macao SAR China | 100 % | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇫 St. Martin | 100 % | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇲🇨 Monaco | 100 % | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇳🇷 Nauru | 100 % | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 100 % | 2025 |
| 1er | 🇸🇽 Sint Maarten | 100 % | 2025 |
| 12e | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 99.4 % | 2025 |
| 13e | 🇸🇲 San Marino | 97.2 % | 2025 |
| 14e | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 95.9 % | 2025 |
| 15e | 🇲🇹 Malta | 95.7 % | 2025 |
| 16e | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 95.7 % | 2025 |
| 17e | 🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands | 95.4 % | 2025 |
| 18e | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 94.9 % | 2025 |
| 19e | 🇹🇨 Turks & Caicos Islands | 94.4 % | 2025 |
| 20e | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 94.3 % | 2025 |
| 21e | 🇬🇺 Guam | 94.2 % | 2025 |
| 22e | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 94.2 % | 2025 |
| 23e | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 93.2 % | 2025 |
| 24e | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 92.4 % | 2025 |
| 25e | 🇯🇵 Japan | 92.3 % | 2025 |
| 26e | 🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands | 92.2 % | 2025 |
| 27e | 🇬🇦 Gabon | 92.1 % | 2025 |
| 28e | 🇮🇱 Israel | 91.6 % | 2025 |
| 29e | 🇨🇼 Curaçao | 91.5 % | 2025 |
| 30e | 🇱🇧 Lebanon | 91 % | 2025 |
| 31e | 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 89.5 % | 2025 |
| 32e | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 89.3 % | 2025 |
| 33e | 🇨🇱 Chile | 89.2 % | 2025 |
| 34e | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 89.1 % | 2025 |
| 35e | 🇦🇩 Andorra | 88.9 % | 2025 |
| 36e | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 88.8 % | 2025 |
| 37e | 🇬🇱 Greenland | 88.6 % | 2025 |
| 38e | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 88.2 % | 2025 |
| 39e | 🇱🇾 Libya | 87.9 % | 2025 |
| 40e | 🇦🇺 Australia | 87.7 % | 2025 |
| 41e | 🇧🇪 Belgium | 87.7 % | 2025 |
| 42e | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 86 % | 2025 |
| 43e | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 85.7 % | 2025 |
| 44e | 🇵🇪 Peru | 85.6 % | 2025 |
| 45e | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 84.6 % | 2025 |
| 46e | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 84 % | 2025 |
| 47e | 🇳🇴 Norway | 83.6 % | 2025 |
| 48e | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 83.3 % | 2025 |
| 49e | 🇨🇦 Canada | 82.9 % | 2025 |
| 50e | 🇩🇪 Germany | 82.1 % | 2025 |
| 51e | 🇧🇸 Bahamas | 81.3 % | 2025 |
| 52e | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 81.2 % | 2025 |
| 53e | 🇪🇸 Spain | 80.5 % | 2025 |
| 54e | 🇦🇸 American Samoa | 80.5 % | 2025 |
| 55e | 🇺🇸 United States | 80.2 % | 2025 |
| 56e | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 80 % | 2025 |
| 57e | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 79.7 % | 2025 |
| 58e | 🇧🇾 Belarus | 79.5 % | 2025 |
| 59e | 🇴🇲 Oman | 79.5 % | 2025 |
| 60e | 🇵🇼 Palau | 79.3 % | 2025 |
| 61e | 🇬🇷 Greece | 79.2 % | 2025 |
| 62e | 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands | 79.1 % | 2025 |
| 63e | 🇫🇷 France | 78.8 % | 2025 |
| 64e | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 78.8 % | 2025 |
| 65e | 🇨🇻 Cape Verde | 77.6 % | 2025 |
| 66e | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 77.4 % | 2025 |
| 67e | 🇮🇷 Iran | 77.4 % | 2025 |
| 68e | 🇨🇺 Cuba | 77.2 % | 2025 |
| 69e | 🇩🇿 Algeria | 75.8 % | 2025 |
| 70e | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | 75.5 % | 2025 |
| 71e | 🇷🇺 Russia | 75.3 % | 2025 |
| 72e | 🇧🇳 Brunei | 75 % | 2025 |
| 73e | 🇫🇮 Finland | 74.5 % | 2025 |
| 74e | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 74.2 % | 2025 |
| 75e | 🇩🇲 Dominica | 74 % | 2025 |
| 76e | 🇩🇯 Djibouti | 73 % | 2025 |
| 77e | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 72.9 % | 2025 |
| 78e | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 72.5 % | 2025 |
| 79e | 🇸🇾 Syria | 72.1 % | 2025 |
| 80e | 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea | 71.6 % | 2025 |
| 81e | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 71.6 % | 2025 |
| 82e | 🇦🇴 Angola | 71.5 % | 2025 |
| 83e | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | 71.1 % | 2025 |
| 84e | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 70.7 % | 2025 |
| 85e | 🇹🇳 Tunisia | 70.7 % | 2025 |
| 86e | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 70.7 % | 2025 |
| 87e | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 70.4 % | 2025 |
| 88e | 🇮🇶 Iraq | 69.9 % | 2025 |
| 89e | 🇦🇹 Austria | 69.7 % | 2025 |
| 90e | 🇮🇹 Italy | 69.7 % | 2025 |
| 91e | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 69.6 % | 2025 |
| 92e | 🇸🇹 São Tomé & Príncipe | 69.2 % | 2025 |
| 93e | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 69.1 % | 2025 |
| 94e | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 68.6 % | 2025 |
| 95e | 🇳🇨 New Caledonia | 68.2 % | 2025 |
| 96e | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 68 % | 2025 |
| 97e | 🇳🇵 Nepal | 67 % | 2025 |
| 98e | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 66.7 % | 2025 |
| 99e | 🇨🇳 China | 66.3 % | 2025 |
| 100e | 🇵🇦 Panama | 66.2 % | 2025 |
| 101e | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 65.9 % | 2025 |
| 102e | 🇸🇷 Suriname | 65.8 % | 2025 |
| 103e | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 65.6 % | 2025 |
| 104e | 🇹🇻 Tuvalu | 65.4 % | 2025 |
| 105e | 🇬🇲 Gambia | 65 % | 2025 |
| 106e | 🇮🇪 Ireland | 64.6 % | 2025 |
| 107e | 🇰🇵 North Korea | 64.2 % | 2025 |
| 108e | 🇨🇬 Congo - Brazzaville | 64.1 % | 2025 |
| 109e | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 63.8 % | 2025 |
| 110e | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 63.8 % | 2025 |
| 111e | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 63.4 % | 2025 |
| 112e | 🇰🇮 Kiribati | 63.4 % | 2025 |
| 113e | 🇲🇦 Morocco | 63.1 % | 2025 |
| 114e | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia | 62.9 % | 2025 |
| 115e | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 62.8 % | 2025 |
| 116e | 🇷🇸 Serbia | 62.6 % | 2025 |
| 117e | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 62.4 % | 2025 |
| 118e | 🇵🇫 French Polynesia | 61.8 % | 2025 |
| 119e | 🇦🇼 Aruba | 61.7 % | 2025 |
| 120e | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 61.5 % | 2025 |
| 121e | 🇲🇷 Mauritania | 61.5 % | 2025 |
| 122e | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 61.2 % | 2025 |
| 123e | 🇵🇱 Poland | 60.1 % | 2025 |
| 124e | 🇧🇧 Barbados | 59.7 % | 2025 |
| 125e | 🇫🇯 Fiji | 59.5 % | 2025 |
| 126e | 🇳🇮 Nicaragua | 59.4 % | 2025 |
| 127e | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 59.4 % | 2025 |
| 128e | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 59.4 % | 2025 |
| 129e | 🇭🇳 Honduras | 59.3 % | 2025 |
| 130e | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 58.9 % | 2025 |
| 131e | 🇦🇱 Albania | 58.9 % | 2025 |
| 132e | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 58.6 % | 2025 |
| 133e | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 57.8 % | 2025 |
| 134e | 🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands | 57.4 % | 2025 |
| 135e | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 56.3 % | 2025 |
| 136e | 🇱🇷 Liberia | 56.1 % | 2025 |
| 137e | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 56 % | 2025 |
| 138e | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 55.8 % | 2025 |
| 139e | 🇸🇳 Senegal | 55.8 % | 2025 |
| 140e | 🇨🇲 Cameroon | 55.7 % | 2025 |
| 141e | 🇭🇹 Haiti | 55.6 % | 2025 |
| 142e | 🇸🇴 Somalia | 55.1 % | 2025 |
| 143e | 🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire | 54.5 % | 2025 |
| 144e | 🇹🇹 Trinidad & Tobago | 54 % | 2025 |
| 145e | 🇧🇯 Benin | 53.4 % | 2025 |
| 146e | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | 53.2 % | 2025 |
| 147e | 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina | 52.7 % | 2025 |
| 148e | 🇷🇴 Romania | 52.2 % | 2025 |
| 149e | 🇮🇲 Isle of Man | 52.1 % | 2025 |
| 150e | 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | 51 % | 2025 |
| 151e | 🇽🇰 Kosovo | 50.9 % | 2025 |
| 152e | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 50.9 % | 2025 |
| 153e | 🇻🇨 St. Vincent & Grenadines | 48 % | 2025 |
| 154e | 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan | 47.1 % | 2025 |
| 155e | 🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau | 46.7 % | 2025 |
| 156e | 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone | 45.9 % | 2025 |
| 157e | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 45.9 % | 2025 |
| 158e | 🇸🇨 Seychelles | 45.5 % | 2025 |
| 159e | 🇨🇩 Congo - Kinshasa | 45.1 % | 2025 |
| 160e | 🇱🇸 Lesotho | 44.7 % | 2025 |
| 161e | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | 44.6 % | 2025 |
| 162e | 🇹🇬 Togo | 44.4 % | 2025 |
| 163e | 🇲🇩 Moldova | 43.7 % | 2025 |
| 164e | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | 43.4 % | 2025 |
| 165e | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 42.9 % | 2025 |
| 166e | 🇲🇻 Maldives | 42.5 % | 2025 |
| 167e | 🇧🇿 Belize | 41.6 % | 2025 |
| 168e | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 41.1 % | 2025 |
| 169e | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | 40.5 % | 2025 |
| 170e | 🇱🇦 Laos | 40.3 % | 2025 |
| 171e | 🇫🇴 Faroe Islands | 39.6 % | 2025 |
| 172e | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 39.5 % | 2025 |
| 173e | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 39 % | 2025 |
| 174e | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 38.8 % | 2025 |
| 175e | 🇬🇳 Guinea | 38.5 % | 2025 |
| 176e | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 37.2 % | 2025 |
| 177e | 🇾🇪 Yemen | 37 % | 2025 |
| 178e | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | 36.9 % | 2025 |
| 179e | 🇬🇩 Grenada | 36.7 % | 2025 |
| 180e | 🇮🇳 India | 35.7 % | 2025 |
| 181e | 🇸🇩 Sudan | 34.9 % | 2025 |
| 182e | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 34.7 % | 2025 |
| 183e | 🇪🇷 Eritrea | 34.5 % | 2025 |
| 184e | 🇰🇲 Comoros | 33.9 % | 2025 |
| 185e | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 33.2 % | 2025 |
| 186e | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | 32.9 % | 2025 |
| 187e | 🇲🇱 Mali | 32.2 % | 2025 |
| 188e | 🇰🇪 Kenya | 32.2 % | 2025 |
| 189e | 🇺🇬 Uganda | 31.9 % | 2025 |
| 190e | 🇰🇳 St. Kitts & Nevis | 31.9 % | 2025 |
| 191e | 🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | 31.3 % | 2025 |
| 192e | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | 30.9 % | 2025 |
| 193e | 🇲🇲 Myanmar (Burma) | 30.6 % | 2025 |
| 194e | 🇱🇨 St. Lucia | 29.1 % | 2025 |
| 195e | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 28.9 % | 2025 |
| 196e | 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste | 28.8 % | 2025 |
| 197e | 🇹🇩 Chad | 27.6 % | 2025 |
| 198e | 🇸🇿 Eswatini | 26.7 % | 2025 |
| 199e | 🇬🇾 Guyana | 26.5 % | 2025 |
| 200e | 🇹🇯 Tajikistan | 26.2 % | 2025 |
| 201e | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 25.9 % | 2025 |
| 202e | 🇧🇮 Burundi | 25.7 % | 2025 |
| 203e | 🇦🇬 Antigua & Barbuda | 24.3 % | 2025 |
| 204e | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | 24.1 % | 2025 |
| 205e | 🇫🇲 Micronesia | 22.5 % | 2025 |
| 206e | 🇻🇺 Vanuatu | 22.3 % | 2025 |
| 207e | 🇹🇴 Tonga | 21.2 % | 2025 |
| 208e | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 20.5 % | 2025 |
| 209e | 🇳🇪 Niger | 18.4 % | 2025 |
| 210e | 🇲🇼 Malawi | 17.6 % | 2025 |
| 211e | 🇼🇸 Samoa | 17.5 % | 2025 |
| 212e | 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea | 15.8 % | 2025 |
| 213e | 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | 14.6 % | 2025 |
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest value for "Urban population"?
The highest value is in Bahrain, at 100 % (2025).
Which country has the lowest value for "Urban population"?
The lowest value is in Liechtenstein, at 14.6 % (2025).
What is the world median value of "Urban population"?
The world median is 64.2 %, calculated across 213 countries: half of the countries are above it, the other half below.
What is the value of "Urban population" for France?
France scores 78.8 % (2025), ranking 63 out of 213 countries (ranked from highest to lowest).
Where does the "Urban population" data come from?
It comes from Banque mondiale (WDI), d'après Nations unies – World Urbanization Prospects. Site last updated: November 8, 2026. Each country is shown with the year of its most recent value.
How is a city defined?
Each country sets its own definition, for example a minimum number of inhabitants or a density. This is why comparisons remain approximate.
Is urbanization synonymous with development?
It often goes hand in hand with industry and services, but not systematically. It depends on each country.
Source and update
Source : Banque mondiale (WDI), d'après Nations unies – World Urbanization Prospects. Site last updated: November 8, 2026.
Indicators in the same category : Population & Vital Statistics
- Adults with an official IDAn official ID (identity card, passport, voter card, etc.) makes it possible to prove who you are in order to vote, open a bank account or access public services. This indicator gives the share of people aged 15 and over who say they have one, according to the Global Findex survey (ID4D programme).
- Births registered with civil authoritiesRegistering a child's birth with the civil registry gives the child a legal existence: a name, a nationality and access to school or health care. This indicator gives the share of children under 5 whose birth has been registered by the authorities.
- PopulationThe number of people living in the country, of all ages.
- Share of women in the populationShare of women in the country's total population, as a percentage.
- Share of men in the populationShare of men in the country's total population, as a percentage. Calculated value: 100 minus the share of women from the same World Bank series (United Nations).
- Number of men per 100 womenRatio between the number of men and the number of women in the population. Calculated value: (100 − share of women) ÷ share of women × 100, from the World Bank series (United Nations).
- Boys per 100 girls at birthNumber of boys born per 100 girls born in the same year. Worldwide, slightly more boys than girls are born. Source value (boys per girl) multiplied by 100.
- Share of 0-14 year oldsShare of children aged 0 to 14 in the total population, as a percentage.
- Share of 15-64 year oldsShare of people aged 15 to 64 (usual working ages) in the total population, as a percentage.
- Share of people aged 65 and overShare of people aged 65 and over in the total population, as a percentage.
- Median age of the populationAge that divides the population into two equal halves: half of the inhabitants are younger, the other half older (United Nations estimate).
- Age dependency ratioNumber of people under 15 or over 64 per 100 people aged 15 to 64. It gives an idea of the weight of non-working ages relative to the usual working ages.