This statistic shows a forecast of the top thirty most urbanized countries in the world in 2018. As of 2018, 100 percent of Singapore's population lived in urban areas.

The average for 2023 based on 20 countries was 76.64 percent. The highest value was in Uruguay: 95.77 percent and the lowest value was in Guatemala: 53.1 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The statistic shows the degree of urbanization in OECD countries in 2018. In 2018, ******* had the highest degree of urbanization among OECD countries, with ** percent of the population residing in urban areas.

This statistic shows a forecast of the top ten most urbanized countries in the world in 2050. By 2050, **** percent of Belgium's population is forecasted to live in an urban area.

This statistic represents the 30 countries with the lowest degree of urbanization in 2018. In 2018, 13 percent of the population of Burundi were living in urban areas.

The average for 2023 based on 27 countries was 74.4 percent. The highest value was in Belgium: 98.19 percent and the lowest value was in Slovakia: 54.03 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2023 based on 196 countries was 61.36 percent. The highest value was in Bermuda: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Papua New Guinea: 13.72 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2023, Gabon had the highest urbanization rate in Africa, with over 90 percent of the population living in urban areas. Libya and Djibouti followed at around 82 percent and 79 percent, respectively. On the other hand, many countries on the continent had the majority of the population residing in rural areas. As of 2023, urbanization in Malawi, Rwanda, Niger, and Burundi was below 20 percent. A growing urban population On average, the African urbanization rate stood at approximately 45 percent in 2023. The number of people living in urban areas has been growing steadily since 2000 and is forecast to increase further in the coming years. The urbanization process is being particularly rapid in Burundi, Uganda, Niger, and Tanzania. In these countries, the urban population grew by over 4.2 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. The most populous cities in Africa Africa’s largest city is Lagos in Nigeria, counting around nine million people. It is followed by Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cairo in Egypt, each with over seven million inhabitants. Moreover, other cities on the continent are growing rapidly. The population of Bujumbura in Burundi will increase by 123 percent between 2020 and 2035, registering the highest growth rate on the continent. Other fast-growing cities are Zinder in Niger, Kampala in Uganda, and Kabinda in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This statistic shows the degree of urbanization in the Arab world (Arab League) countries in 2022. Urbanization is defined as the share of urban population in the total population. In 2022, 75.27 percent of the total population of Algeria lived in urban areas.

Urban population (% of total population) in Panama was reported at 69.51 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Panama - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

The urbanization rate in Africa was estimated at nearly 45 percent in 2023. Urbanization on the continent has increased steadily since 2000, when close to 35 percent of the total population lived in urban areas. This share is expected to increase further in the coming years. However, the proportion of the rural and urban population varies significantly on the continent. In 2023, Gabon and Libya were the most urbanized countries in Africa, each exceeding 80 percent. In contrast, Burundi and Niger registered the lowest urbanization rates, which recorded only 13 and 17 percent of their populations living in urban areas, respectively. Overall, the degree of urbanization on the continent was lower than the world average, which was set at 57 percent as of 2023. In that year, Africa and Asia were the continents with the lowest urbanization rate.

The average for 2023 based on 24 countries was 62.87 percent. The highest value was in Bermuda: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Saint Lucia: 19.17 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2023 based on 11 countries was 53.65 percent. The highest value was in Singapore: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Cambodia: 25.57 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Since the 1960s, Australia's urbanization rate has consistently been above 80 percent, and in 2023 it has reached its highest ever rate at 86.62 percent. Historically, Australia has been one of the most urbanized countries in the world, due to high rates of immigration since the 20th century, which were generally to coastal, urban areas. However, despite its high urbanization rate, Australia is among the largest countries in the world; therefore its population density is among the lowest in the world.

South Africa ZA: Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data was reported at 37.102 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 36.958 % for 2016. South Africa ZA: Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 26.647 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 37.102 % in 2017 and a record low of 25.848 % in 1960. South Africa ZA: Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the percentage of a country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2000 had a population of more than one million people.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted Average;

Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data was reported at 61.531 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 61.314 % for 2023. Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 60.970 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 63.459 % in 1971 and a record low of 54.200 % in 1960. Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the percentage of a country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;Weighted average;

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.

In 2018, roughly 23 percent of the population in East Africa were living in urban areas. The most urbanized country was Djibouti (78 percent), while Burundi was the least urbanized (13 percent). In absolute numbers, Ethiopia had the largest number of urban residents, approximately 23 million.

Global Share of Urban Population Using at Least Basic Drinking Water Services by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

This report presents the highlights of the 2014 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects, which contains the latest estimates of the urban and rural populations of 233 countries or areas from 1950 to 2014 and projections to 2050, as well as estimates of population size from 1950 to 2014 and projections to 2030 for all urban agglomerations with 300,000 inhabitants or more in 2014. The annex tables in these Highlights provide data on the estimated and projected urban and rural populations, the percentage of the population that live in urban areas and the annual growth rate of the percentage urban for 233 countries or areas of the world. The tables also show the rank and annual growth rate of urban agglomerations with 5 million inhabitants or more in 2014.