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.

2007 marked the first year where more of the world's population lived in an urban setting than a rural setting. In 1960, roughly a third of the world lived in an urban setting; it is expected that this figure will reach two thirds by 2050. Urbanization is a fairly new phenomenon; for the vast majority of human history, fewer than five percent of the world lived in urban areas, due to the dependency on subsistence agriculture. Advancements in agricultural practices and technology then coincided with the beginning of the industrial revolution in Europe in the late 19th century, which resulted in waves of urbanization to meet the demands of emerging manufacturing industries. This trend was replicated across the rest of the world as it industrialized over the following two centuries, and the most significant increase coincided with the industrialization of the most populous countries in Asia. In more developed economies, urbanization remains high even as economies de-industrialize, due to a variety of factors such as housing availability, labor demands in service industries, and social trends.

Urban population (% of total population) in United States was reported at 83.52 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

United States US: Rural Population: % of Total Population data was reported at 17.942 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 18.138 % for 2016. United States US: Rural Population: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 24.985 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 30.004 % in 1960 and a record low of 17.942 % in 2017. United States US: Rural Population: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

The statistic shows the global share of people living in metropolises from 1950 to 2050. IN 1950, approximately 29 percent of people lived in metropolises.

Urban population (% of total population) in World was reported at 57.7 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. World - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Urban population (% of total population) in France was reported at 82.04 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. France - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

On 1 January 2016, the world officially began implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the transformative plan of action based on 17 Sustainable Development Goals—to address urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. The Sustainable Development Goals Database in UNdata presents data for the global SDG indicators that were compiled through the UN System in preparation for the Secretary-Generals annual report on “Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.” The data series respond to the revised global indicator framework that was agreed by the Statistical Commission at its forty-eighth session in March 2017. The database contains SDG indicator series and additional indicator series. The list of SDG indicators is subject to refinement by the United Nations Statistical Commission.

World urban population for 2023 was 4,614,425,176, a 1.67% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>World urban population for 2022 was <strong>4,538,431,007</strong>, a <strong>1.65% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>World urban population for 2021 was <strong>4,464,635,019</strong>, a <strong>1.57% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>World urban population for 2020 was <strong>4,395,641,624</strong>, a <strong>1.82% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.

Japan urban population for 2023 was 114,608,860, a 0.39% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Japan urban population for 2022 was <strong>115,058,684</strong>, a <strong>0.35% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Japan urban population for 2021 was <strong>115,459,909</strong>, a <strong>0.37% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Japan urban population for 2020 was <strong>115,884,871</strong>, a <strong>0.2% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.

Haiti HT: Population Living in Slums: % of Urban Population data was reported at 74.400 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 70.100 % for 2009. Haiti HT: Population Living in Slums: % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 74.400 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2014, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 93.400 % in 2000 and a record low of 70.100 % in 2009. Haiti HT: Population Living in Slums: % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Haiti – Table HT.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population living in slums is the proportion of the urban population living in slum households. A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, and durability of housing.; ; UN HABITAT, retrieved from the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals database. Data are available at : http://mdgs.un.org/; Weighted average;

Urban population (% of total population) in Australia was reported at 86.75 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Australia - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

The Census Bureau released revised delineations for urban areas on December 29, 2022. The new criteria (contained in this Federal Register Notice) is based primarily on housing unit density measured at the census block level. The minimum qualifying threshold for inclusion as an urban area is an area that contains at least 2,000 housing units or has a population of at least 5,000 persons. It also eliminates the classification of areas as “urban clusters/urbanized areas”. This represents a change from 2010, where urban areas were defined as areas consisting of 50,000 people or more and urban clusters consisted of at least 2,500 people but less than 50,000 people with at least 1,500 people living outside of group quarters. Due to the new population thresholds for urban areas, 36 urban clusters in California are no longer considered urban areas, leaving California with 193 urban areas after the new criteria was implemented.

The State of California experienced an increase of 1,885,884 in the total urban population, or 5.3%. However, the total urban area population as a percentage of the California total population went down from 95% to 94.2%. For more information about the mapped data, download the Excel spreadsheet here.

Please note that some of the 2020 urban areas have different names or additional place names as a result of the inclusion of housing unit counts as secondary naming criteria.

Please note there are four urban areas that cross state boundaries in Arizona and Nevada. For 2010, only the parts within California are displayed on the map; however, the population and housing estimates represent the entirety of the urban areas. For 2020, the population and housing unit estimates pertains to the areas within California only.

Data for this web application was derived from the 2010 and 2020 Censuses (2010 and 2020 Census Blocks, 2020 Urban Areas, and Counties) and the 2016-2020 American Community Survey (2010 -Urban Areas) and can be found at data.census.gov.

For more information about the urban area delineations, visit the Census Bureau's Urban and Rural webpage and FAQ.

To view more data from the State of California Department of Finance, visit the Demographic Research Unit Data Hub.

Share of estimated population living in urban areas based on national urban definitions at Mid-Year (out of total population at mid-year)

Urban population (% of total population) in India was reported at 36.87 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Thailand urban population for 2023 was 38,438,241, a 1.31% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Thailand urban population for 2022 was <strong>37,940,098</strong>, a <strong>1.4% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Thailand urban population for 2021 was <strong>37,415,128</strong>, a <strong>1.55% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Thailand urban population for 2020 was <strong>36,845,215</strong>, a <strong>1.62% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.

Urban population (% of total population) in Canada was reported at 81.86 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Canada - Urban population (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.

United States US: Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data was reported at 45.896 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 45.666 % for 2016. United States US: Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 42.013 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 45.896 % in 2017 and a record low of 38.733 % in 1960. United States US: 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 United States – Table US.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;

Morocco urban population for 2023 was 24,558,760, a 1.85% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Morocco urban population for 2022 was <strong>24,113,082</strong>, a <strong>1.85% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Morocco urban population for 2021 was <strong>23,674,863</strong>, a <strong>1.86% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Morocco urban population for 2020 was <strong>23,242,679</strong>, a <strong>1.89% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.