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.

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.

Actual value and historical data chart for World Urban Population

Actual value and historical data chart for World Urban Population Percent Of Total

This statistic shows the share of the population living in urban areas worldwide from 1950 to 2050, by development status determined by income level. High-income countries are projected to have **** percent of their populations living in urban areas by 2050.

United States US: Urban Population Growth data was reported at 0.952 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.968 % for 2016. United States US: Urban Population Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.152 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.449 % in 1960 and a record low of 0.927 % in 1974. United States US: Urban Population Growth 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. 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.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

These charts shows the world trend in urban populations, people living in cities, from the year 1800 to 2100.

This comprehensive dataset, derived from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects 2018, provides detailed insights into the global demographic shifts from 1950 to 2050. It covers a wide range of data points including total, urban, and rural populations, alongside growth rates and urbanization trends across different regions, subregions, and countries.

Dataset Files WUP2018-F01-Total_Urban_Rural.xls: Population counts for urban and rural areas as of mid-2018, including percentages. WUP2018-F02-Proportion_Urban.xls: Historical and projected percentages of urban populations from 1950 to 2050. WUP2018-F03-Urban_Population.xls: Urban population figures from 1950 to 2050. WUP2018-F04-Rural_Population.xls: Rural population figures from 1950 to 2050. WUP2018-F05-Total_Population.xls: Total population figures from 1950 to 2050. WUP2018-F06-Urban_Growth_Rate.xls: Annual urban population growth rates from 1950 to 2050. WUP2018-F07-Rural_Growth_Rate.xls: Annual rural population growth rates from 1950 to 2050. WUP2018-F08-Total_Growth_Rate.xls: Total population growth rates from 1950 to 2000. WUP2018-F09-Urbanization_Rate.xls: Changes in the rate of urbanization from 1950 to 2050. WUP2018-F10-Rate_Proportion_Rural.xls: Changes in the proportion of rural populations from 1950 to 2050. WUP2018-F18-Total_Population_Annual.xls: Detailed annual total population data from 1950 to 2050. WUP2018-F19-Urban_Population_Annual.xls: Detailed annual urban population data from 1950 to 2050. WUP2018-F20-Rural_Population_Annual.xls: Detailed annual rural population data from 1950 to 2050. WUP2018-F21-Proportion_Urban_Annual.xls: Detailed annual urban population percentages from 1950 to 2050. Potential Uses This dataset is invaluable for researchers, policy makers, urban planners, and sociologists interested in understanding the dynamics of urbanization and its impacts on global development. The data can be used for:

Analyzing trends in urban and rural growth. Forecasting future demographic shifts. Planning for infrastructure, services, and resources in rapidly urbanizing regions. Studying regional differences in development and urbanization.

Actual value and historical data chart for World Urban Population Growth Annual Percent

This dataset presents essential statistics related to global population dynamics. It includes information such as the year, economy, economy label, absolute population values in thousands, and urban population percentages. The dataset covers the period from 1950 to 2050, providing insights into population trends and urbanization patterns across various economies. The columns in data set is

Year Economy
Economy Label
Absolute value in thousands
Absolute value in thousands Missing value
Urban population as percentage of total population
Urban population as percentage of total population Missing value

The average for 2024 based on 196 countries was 61.7 percent. The highest value was in Bermuda: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Papua New Guinea: 13.88 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

United States US: Urban Population data was reported at 267,278,643.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 264,746,567.000 Person for 2016. United States US: Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 184,283,180.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 267,278,643.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 126,462,473.000 Person in 1960. United States US: Urban 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. 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.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Sum;

Historical dataset showing World urban population by year from 1960 to 2023.

This statistic shows the twenty countries with the projected largest urban populations worldwide in 2050. Forecasts estimate that the urban population of China will be **** billion people in 2050.

Urban areas worldwide, from the Natural Earth project.

Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com.

As of 2025, Tokyo-Yokohama in Japan was the largest world urban agglomeration, with 37 million people living there. Delhi ranked second with more than 34 million, with Shanghai in third with more than 30 million inhabitants.

Germany DE: Urban Population: % of Total Population data was reported at 77.765 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 77.648 % for 2022. Germany DE: Urban Population: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 73.315 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 77.765 % in 2023 and a record low of 71.384 % in 1960. Germany DE: Urban Population: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. 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 Nations Population Division. World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.;Weighted average;

In 2020, **** percent of the North American population lived in urban areas. According to the projections, this figure is going to increase to ** percent in 2050. Across all major world regions, the level of urbanization is projected to be increasing in 2050.

The Historical Urban Population, 3700 BC - AD 2000, originally developed by the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, is the first spatially explicit global data set containing location and size of urban populations over the last 6,000 years. The data set was created by digitizing, transcribing, and geocoding historical, archaeological, and census-based urban population data. Each data point consists of a city name, latitude, longitude, year, population, and a reliability ranking to assess the geographic uncertainty of each data point. Despite spatial and temporal gaps, no other geocoded data set at this resolution exists. It can therefore be used to investigate long-term historical urbanization trends and patterns, evaluate the current era of urbanization, and build a richer record of urban population through history.

This dataset provides a comprehensive overview of the population statistics for 800 largest cities in the world, detailing the population estimates for the years 2023 and 2024. Additionally, it includes the calculated growth rate for each city over this period. This dataset can be instrumental for urban studies, demographic analysis, and economic research. Columns Description • City: The name of the city. • Country: The country where the city is located. • Population (2024): Estimated population of the city for the year 2024. • Population (2023): Estimated population of the city for the year 2023. • Growth Rate: The rate of population growth from 2023 to 2024. This is calculated as the difference between the 2024 and 2023 populations, divided by the 2023 population.