In 2025, the degree of urbanization worldwide was at 58 percent. North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean were the regions with the highest level of urbanization, with over four-fifths of the population residing in urban areas. The degree of urbanization defines the share of the population living in areas defined as "cities". On the other hand, less than half of Africa's population lives in urban settlements. Globally, China accounts for over one-quarter of the built-up areas of more than 500,000 inhabitants. The definition of a city differs across various world regions - some countries count settlements with 100 houses or more as urban, while others only include the capital of a country or provincial capitals in their count. Largest agglomerations worldwideThough North America is the most urbanized continent, no U.S. city was among the top ten urban agglomerations worldwide in 2023. Tokyo-Yokohama in Japan was the largest urban area in the world that year, with 37.7 million inhabitants. New York ranked 13th, with 21.4 million inhabitants. Eight of the 10 most populous cities are located in Asia. ConnectivityIt may be hard to imagine how the reality will look in 2050, with 70 percent of the global population living in cities, but some statistics illustrate the ways urban living differs from suburban and rural living. American urbanites may lead more “connected” (i.e., internet-connected) lives than their rural and/or suburban counterparts. As of 2021, around 89 percent of people living in urban areas owned a smartphone. Internet usage was also higher in cities than in rural areas. On the other hand, rural areas always have, and always will, attract those who want to escape the rush of the city.

Proportion of population living in Urban and Rural areas for the Pacific Island and Territories. The Degree of Urbanization classifies the entire territory of a country along the urban-rural continuum.

Find more Pacific data on PDH.stat.

This statistic shows the percentage of the total population living in urban areas worldwide from 1950 to 2050, by regional development level. By 2050, more developed regions of the world will have 86.6 percent of their populations living in urban areas.

In 2020, about 82.66 percent of the total population in the United States lived in cities and urban areas. As the United States was one of the earliest nations to industrialize, it has had a comparatively high rate of urbanization over the past two centuries. The urban population became larger than the rural population during the 1910s, and by the middle of the century it is expected that almost 90 percent of the population will live in an urban setting. Regional development of urbanization in the U.S. The United States began to urbanize on a larger scale in the 1830s, as technological advancements reduced the labor demand in agriculture, and as European migration began to rise. One major difference between early urbanization in the U.S. and other industrializing economies, such as the UK or Germany, was population distribution. Throughout the 1800s, the Northeastern U.S. became the most industrious and urban region of the country, as this was the main point of arrival for migrants. Disparities in industrialization and urbanization was a key contributor to the Union's victory in the Civil War, not only due to population sizes, but also through production capabilities and transport infrastructure. The Northeast's population reached an urban majority in the 1870s, whereas this did not occur in the South until the 1950s. As more people moved westward in the late 1800s, not only did their population growth increase, but the share of the urban population also rose, with an urban majority established in both the West and Midwest regions in the 1910s. The West would eventually become the most urbanized region in the 1960s, and over 90 percent of the West's population is urbanized today. Urbanization today New York City is the most populous city in the United States, with a population of 8.3 million, while California has the largest urban population of any state. California also has the highest urbanization rate, although the District of Columbia is considered 100 percent urban. Only four U.S. states still have a rural majority, these are Maine, Mississippi, Montana, and West Virginia.

Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Heilongjiang: Harbin data was reported at 56.260 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 55.800 % for 2021. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Heilongjiang: Harbin data is updated yearly, averaging 48.300 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2022, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 56.260 % in 2022 and a record low of 46.800 % in 2001. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Heilongjiang: Harbin data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Harbin Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: Urbanization Rate. Since 2015,the donotation of Non-agriculture Population has been adjusted to Urban Population.

CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Shanghai data was reported at 89.460 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 89.330 % for 2022. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Shanghai data is updated yearly, averaging 65.280 % from Dec 1949 (Median) to 2023, with 75 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 94.480 % in 1957 and a record low of 58.210 % in 1977. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Shanghai data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Urbanization Rate.

CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Yunnan data was reported at 52.920 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 51.720 % for 2022. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Yunnan data is updated yearly, averaging 24.860 % from Dec 1949 (Median) to 2023, with 75 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 52.920 % in 2023 and a record low of 4.850 % in 1953. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Yunnan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Urbanization Rate.

CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Guangdong data was reported at 75.910 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 75.420 % for 2023. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Guangdong data is updated yearly, averaging 41.965 % from Dec 1949 (Median) to 2024, with 40 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 75.910 % in 2024 and a record low of 15.640 % in 1975. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Guangdong data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Urbanization Rate.

Understanding how ecological and cultural resources may change in the future is an important component of conservation planning and for the implementation of long-term environmental monitoring. We modeled six future scenarios of urbanization and sea level rise to investigate their potential effects on the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative's Priority Resources (PFLCC 2016), which were identified as important for conservation through a cooperative multi-partner effort to prioritize conservation efforts on a state-wide scale. These data represent conservation targets for the Coastal Uplands, High Pine and Scrub, and Freshwater Aquatics Priority Resources at present, and under six future scenarios of sea level rise and urbanization.

CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Anhui data was reported at 62.570 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 61.510 % for 2023. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Anhui data is updated yearly, averaging 50.140 % from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2024, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 62.570 % in 2024 and a record low of 35.460 % in 2005. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Anhui data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Urbanization Rate.

In 2024, approximately 67 percent of the total population in China lived in cities. The urbanization rate has increased steadily in China over the last decades. Degree of urbanization in China Urbanization is generally defined as a process of people migrating from rural to urban areas, during which towns and cities are formed and increase in size. Even though urbanization is not exclusively a modern phenomenon, industrialization and modernization did accelerate its progress. As shown in the statistic at hand, the degree of urbanization of China, the world's second-largest economy, rose from 36 percent in 2000 to around 51 percent in 2011. That year, the urban population surpassed the number of rural residents for the first time in the country's history.The urbanization rate varies greatly in different parts of China. While urbanization is lesser advanced in western or central China, in most coastal regions in eastern China more than two-thirds of the population lives already in cities. Among the ten largest Chinese cities in 2021, six were located in coastal regions in East and South China. Urbanization in international comparison Brazil and Russia, two other BRIC countries, display a much higher degree of urbanization than China. On the other hand, in India, the country with the worlds’ largest population, a mere 36.3 percent of the population lived in urban regions as of 2023. Similar to other parts of the world, the progress of urbanization in China is closely linked to modernization. From 2000 to 2024, the contribution of agriculture to the gross domestic product in China shrank from 14.7 percent to 6.8 percent. Even more evident was the decrease of workforce in agriculture.

This statistic shows the degree of urbanization in Germany from 2013 to 2023. Urbanization means the share of urban population in the total population of a country. In 2023, 77.77 percent of Germany's total population lived in urban areas and cities. Urbanization in Germany Currently, about three quarter of the German population live in urban areas and cities, which is more than in most nations around the world. Urbanization, as it can be seen in this graph, refers to the number of people living in an urban area and has nothing to do with the actual geographical size or footprint of an area or country. A country which is significantly bigger than Germany could have a similar degree of urbanization, just because not all areas in the country are inhabitable, for example. One example for this is Russia, where urbanization has reached comparable figures to Germany, even though its geographical size is significantly bigger. However, Germany’s level of urbanization does not make the list of the top 30 most urbanized nations in the world, where urbanization rates are higher than 83 percent. Also, while 25 percent of the population in Germany still lives in rural areas, rural livelihoods are not dependent on agriculture, as only 0.75 percent of GDP came from the agricultural sector in 2014. So while Germany's urbanization rate is growing, a significant percentage of the population is still living in rural areas. Furthermore, Germany has a number of shrinking cities which are located to the east and in older industrial regions around the country. Considering that population growth in Germany is on the decline, because of low fertility rates, and that a number of cities are shrinking, the urban population is likely shifting to bigger cities which have more economic opportunities than smaller ones.

It is estimated that Europe had an urbanization rate of approximately 8.5 percent in the year 1800. The Netherlands and Belgium were some of the most heavily urbanized regions, due the growth of port cities such as Rotterdam and Antwerp during Netherlands' empirical expansion, and the legacy of urbanization in the region, which stems from its wool and craft industries in medieval times. Additionally, the decline of their agricultural sectors and smaller territories contributed to a lower rural population. Scotland and England had also become more urban throughout the British Empire's growth, although the agricultural revolution of the previous two centuries, along with the first industrial revolution, then led to more rapid urbanization during the 19th century. In contrast, there was a large imbalance between the east and west of the continent; the two largest empires, Austria and Russia, had the lowest levels of urbanization in Europe in 1800, due to their vast territories, lower maritime presence, and lack of industrial development.

CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Hainan data was reported at 63.080 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 62.460 % for 2023. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Hainan data is updated yearly, averaging 17.850 % from Dec 1952 (Median) to 2024, with 69 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 63.080 % in 2024 and a record low of 7.480 % in 1982. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Hainan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Urbanization Rate.

The resilience of population urbanisation development in countries along the Belt and Road reflects the level of resilience of population urbanisation development in the countries along the Belt and Road, with higher values indicating stronger resilience of population urbanisation development in the countries along the Belt and Road. The data on the resilience of population urbanisation development are prepared with reference to the World Bank's statistical database, using year-on-year data on two indicators, namely the number of urban population and the number of population in urban agglomerations with a population of over one million, from 2000 to 2019, and based on sensitivity and adaptability analysis, taking into account the year-on-year changes of each indicator. Based on the sensitivity and adaptability analysis, the product of the resilience of population urbanisation development was prepared through comprehensive diagnosis. "The data set on the resilience of population urbanisation development in the countries along the Belt and Road is an important reference for analysing and comparing the resilience of population urbanisation development in various countries.

The Global Human Settlement Layer: Population and Built-Up Estimates, and Degree of Urbanization Settlement Model Grid data set provides gridded data on human population (GHS-POP), built-up area (GHS-BUILT), and degree of urbanization (GHS-SMOD) across four time periods: 1975, 1990, 2000, and 2014 (BUILT) or 2015 (POP, SMOD). GHS-BUILT describes the percent built-up area for each 30 arc-second grid cell (approximately 1 km at the equator) based on Landsat imagery from each of the four time periods. GHS-POP consists of census data from the 2010 round of global census from Gridded Population of the World, Version 4, Revision 10 (GPWv4.10) spatially-allocated within census Units based on the percent built-up areas from GHS-BUILT. GHS-SMOD uses GHS-BUILT and GHS-POP in order to develop a standardized classification of degree of urbanization grid. The original data from the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC-EC) has been combined into a single data package in GeoTIFF format and reprojected from Mollweide Equal Area into WGS84 at 9 arc-second and 30 arc-second horizontal resolutions in order to support integration with a variety of global raster data sets.

In 2023, Belarus had the highest degree of urbanization among the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, with over 80 percent of the population residing in cities and towns. Closely following was Russia, where the share of urban population stood at approximately 75 percent. To compare, less than 29 percent of the population of Tajikistan lived in urban areas.

CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Fujian data was reported at 71.800 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 71.040 % for 2023. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Fujian data is updated yearly, averaging 59.320 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2024, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 71.800 % in 2024 and a record low of 41.960 % in 2000. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Fujian data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Urbanization Rate.

This map shows the urbanization rate per country, in percentage of total country population. The need to feed 9 billion people by 2050 implies that the pressure on land and water will generally increase. This pressure on land and water may be further enhanced by the acceleration of urbanization process. If the city is a major consumer of space (often this space consists of rich alluvial land in coastal areas), it also poses problems in terms of use of resources. Agricultural uses of land resources and water resources are already, and will be more and more contended by other uses closer to proper urban lifestyle and urban fruition.

CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Hunan data was reported at 62.070 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 61.160 % for 2023. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Hunan data is updated yearly, averaging 17.115 % from Dec 1949 (Median) to 2024, with 76 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 62.070 % in 2024 and a record low of 7.780 % in 1953. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Hunan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Urbanization Rate.