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.

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.

In 2025, the degree of urbanization worldwide was at 58 percent. North America as well as 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 that are 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.

CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Sichuan data was reported at 59.490 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 58.350 % for 2022. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Sichuan data is updated yearly, averaging 46.510 % from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2023, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 59.490 % in 2023 and a record low of 32.990 % in 2005. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Sichuan 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.

Brazil Urbanization Rate: Southeast: Rio de Janeiro data was reported at 97.400 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 97.300 % for 2014. Brazil Urbanization Rate: Southeast: Rio de Janeiro data is updated yearly, averaging 96.768 % from Sep 2001 (Median) to 2015, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 97.400 % in 2015 and a record low of 96.400 % in 2005. Brazil Urbanization Rate: Southeast: Rio de Janeiro data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The data is categorized under Brazil Premium Database’s Socio and Demographic – Table BR.GAE006: Urbanization Rate.

CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Zhejiang data was reported at 74.230 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 73.380 % for 2022. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Zhejiang data is updated yearly, averaging 62.255 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2023, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 74.230 % in 2023 and a record low of 48.700 % in 2000. CN: Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Zhejiang 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 the year 1800, approximately five percent of the world's population lived in urban areas of 10,000 people or more. At this time, the world's population was just under one billion people, and the industrial revolution was in its early stages in Western Europe and North America. As industrialization spread across the world, urbanization rates rose accordingly. In 2021, the global urbanization rate was approximately 56 percent.

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 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.

Brazil Urbanization Rate: North: Amazonas data was reported at 84.000 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 83.700 % for 2014. Brazil Urbanization Rate: North: Amazonas data is updated yearly, averaging 78.800 % from Sep 2004 (Median) to 2015, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 84.000 % in 2015 and a record low of 76.900 % in 2004. Brazil Urbanization Rate: North: Amazonas data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The data is categorized under Brazil Premium Database’s Socio and Demographic – Table BR.GAE006: Urbanization Rate.

Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Hainan: Haikou data was reported at 72.728 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 71.480 % for 2022. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Hainan: Haikou data is updated yearly, averaging 60.090 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2023, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 72.728 % in 2023 and a record low of 55.090 % in 2015. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Hainan: Haikou data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Haikou 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.

Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Yunnan: Baoshan data was reported at 37.810 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 36.733 % for 2022. Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Yunnan: Baoshan data is updated yearly, averaging 34.449 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2023, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 38.530 % in 2019 and a record low of 22.270 % in 2010. Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Yunnan: Baoshan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Baoshan Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: 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.

Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Guangdong: Guangzhou data was reported at 86.760 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 86.480 % for 2022. Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Guangdong: Guangzhou data is updated yearly, averaging 84.380 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2023, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 86.760 % in 2023 and a record low of 83.790 % in 2010. Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Guangdong: Guangzhou data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: Urbanization Rate.

Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Jiangsu: Wuxi data was reported at 87.560 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 86.610 % for 2022. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Jiangsu: Wuxi data is updated yearly, averaging 85.900 % from Dec 2019 (Median) to 2023, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 87.560 % in 2023 and a record low of 76.970 % in 2019. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Jiangsu: Wuxi data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Wuxi Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: Urbanization Rate.

Living Conditions Survey (LCS): At-risk-of-poverty rate, by degree of urbanisation. Annual. National.

Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Shaanxi data was reported at 65.160 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 64.020 % for 2022. Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Shaanxi data is updated yearly, averaging 48.365 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2023, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 65.160 % in 2023 and a record low of 32.270 % in 2000. Population: Usual Residence: Urbanization Rate: Shaanxi 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.

Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Heilongjiang: Hegang data was reported at 81.000 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 81.250 % for 2021. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Heilongjiang: Hegang data is updated yearly, averaging 81.300 % from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2022, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 82.600 % in 2017 and a record low of 81.000 % in 2022. Population: Household Registration: Urbanization Rate: Heilongjiang: Hegang data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Hegang Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GE: Population: Prefecture Level City: Urbanization Rate.

Analysis of ‘UDP - Annual rate of urbanisation by metro regions, 2010 - 2050 (JRC LUISA Trend Scenario 2016)’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from http://data.europa.eu/88u/dataset/jrc-luisa-udp-rateofurbanisation-trend-2016 on 17 January 2022.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

Annual rate of change in urban population proportion (proportion of the population living in Local Administrative Units - 2 classified as cities, towns and suburbs. The classification of LAU2s as cities, towns and suburbs is based on the LUISA degree of urbanisation projections. The population that live in cities, towns and suburbs is calculated based on total LAU2 populations, not the population of grids.

--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---