Population living in towns and semi-dense areas (Degree of Urbanisation)

215 countries, 2025. Unit: % of population.

First in the ranking
98.5 %
Bermuda
Median country
30.9 %
half above, half below
World
35.6 %
United Nations aggregate
Range
0.0 to 98.5
Monaco - Bermuda

How to read it

Across 215 countries worldwide, the highest value is in Bermuda (98.5 %) and the lowest in Monaco (0.0 %).

The median country is at 30.9 %: half are above, half below.

For the world as a whole, the value fell from 37.8 % in 1996 to 35.6 % in 2025.

Compare selected countries · on the world map

Source: United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects 2025 · licence

Living in towns over time

%

Add to chart:

Ranking of countries

2025
In chart Continent Share of the highest value
1Bermuda98.5North America
2Sint Maarten97.2North America
3Aruba95.5North America
4Cayman Islands92.6North America
5Nauru92.3Oceania
6Saint-Martin86.5North America
7Guam85.3Oceania
8Turks and Caicos Islands82.0North America
9San Marino80.7Europe
10Seychelles80.1Africa
11Rwanda79.6Africa
12Liechtenstein76.2Europe
13Antigua and Barbuda76.1North America
14Saint Lucia75.9North America
15American Samoa75.7Oceania
16Andorra74.9Europe
17Tuvalu74.9Oceania
18United States Virgin Islands73.6North America
19Burundi73.0Africa
20Grenada72.5North America
21Northern Mariana Islands68.8Oceania
22Isle of Man67.7Europe
23Kiribati66.2Oceania
24Saint Vincent and the Grenadines64.2North America
25British Virgin Islands64.1North America
26Tonga60.9Oceania
27Uganda60.4Africa
28Malawi59.3Africa
29Samoa58.2Oceania
30Nepal54.3Asia
31Brunei53.1Asia
32Kenya53.0Africa
33Puerto Rico52.9North America
34Marshall Islands51.2Oceania
35Tajikistan51.2Asia
36Cambodia49.6Asia
37Montenegro49.5Europe
38Botswana49.5Africa
39Sri Lanka49.2Asia
40Luxembourg48.6Europe
41Belgium48.3Europe
42Mauritius47.6Africa
43Vietnam47.3Asia
44Bangladesh46.8Asia
45Haiti46.1North America
46Turkmenistan45.8Asia
47Guyana45.5South America
48Switzerland44.6Europe
49India43.8Asia
50Dominica43.6North America
51Guatemala43.5North America
52Barbados43.4North America
53Uzbekistan43.4Asia
54Philippines43.3Asia
55Afghanistan42.9Asia
56Greenland42.5North America
57Italy42.5Europe
58Pakistan42.4Asia
59North Macedonia42.3Europe
60Saint Kitts and Nevis42.2North America
61Trinidad and Tobago41.9North America
62Kyrgyzstan41.4Asia
63Comoros41.3Africa
64Belize41.1North America
65Ethiopia40.9Africa
66China39.5Asia
67Palau39.5Oceania
68United States39.5North America
69Lebanon39.3Asia
70Germany38.9Europe
71Slovakia38.9Europe
72Algeria38.2Africa
73Azerbaijan38.2Asia
74Czechia38.1Europe
75Yemen37.8Asia
76Netherlands37.1Europe
77Kosovo36.9Europe
78Norway36.6Europe
79Bosnia and Herzegovina36.5Europe
80Faroe Islands36.3Europe
81Sweden36.0Europe
82Papua New Guinea35.9Oceania
83Cuba35.8North America
84Denmark35.7Europe
85Hungary35.5Europe
86Armenia35.5Asia
87Slovenia35.3Europe
88Portugal35.2Europe
89Finland35.2Europe
90Curaçao35.1North America
91Tanzania35.1Africa
92Oman35.1Asia
93Suriname33.9South America
94Uruguay33.7South America
95El Salvador33.6North America
96Cabo Verde33.4Africa
97Syria33.4Asia
98Benin33.4Africa
99Indonesia32.4Asia
100Kazakhstan32.2Asia
101Nigeria32.1Africa
102Australia31.9Oceania
103South Sudan31.9Africa
104Poland31.5Europe
105Serbia31.4Europe
106Myanmar31.2Asia
107Russia31.2Europe
108French Polynesia30.9Oceania
109Moldova30.9Europe
110Libya30.9Africa
111Federated States of Micronesia30.8Oceania
112New Zealand30.8Oceania
113Côte d'Ivoire30.6Africa
114Central African Republic30.6Africa
115Ukraine30.1Europe
116Nicaragua29.7North America
117Georgia29.6Asia
118Bulgaria29.3Europe
119South Africa29.0Africa
120Ghana28.7Africa
121Lithuania28.6Europe
122Niger28.5Africa
123United Kingdom28.4Europe
124Lesotho28.1Africa
125France28.1Europe
126Sudan27.8Africa
127Spain27.7Europe
128Togo27.6Africa
129North Korea27.4Asia
130Laos27.4Asia
131Malaysia27.4Asia
132Egypt27.3Africa
133Croatia27.2Europe
134Malta27.0Europe
135Estonia26.8Europe
136Timor-Leste26.8Asia
137Jamaica26.7North America
138Venezuela26.6South America
139Tunisia26.6Africa
140Ireland26.5Europe
141Thailand26.4Asia
142Morocco26.3Africa
143Cyprus26.1Asia
144Austria25.9Europe
145Fiji25.6Oceania
146Brazil25.6South America
147Madagascar25.5Africa
148Paraguay25.5South America
149Mozambique25.1Africa
150Democratic Republic of the Congo25.1Africa
151Burkina Faso24.8Africa
152Dominican Republic24.8North America
153Mexico24.3North America
154Eritrea24.1Africa
155Costa Rica24.0North America
156Iran24.0Asia
157New Caledonia23.9Oceania
158Albania23.9Europe
159Romania23.8Europe
160Israel23.6Asia
161Ecuador23.6South America
162Canada23.6North America
163Senegal23.6Africa
164The Gambia23.3Africa
165Mongolia23.2Asia
166Japan22.9Asia
167Namibia22.6Africa
168Mali22.6Africa
169Mauritania22.6Africa
170Latvia22.5Europe
171São Tomé and Principe22.5Africa
172Greece22.5Europe
173Gabon22.4Africa
174Argentina22.3South America
175Cameroon22.2Africa
176Honduras21.8North America
177Iceland21.7Europe
178Palestine21.2Asia
179Chad20.8Africa
180Bahamas20.6North America
181Jordan20.4Asia
182Iraq20.1Asia
183Guinea20.1Africa
184Guinea-Bissau20.0Africa
185Sierra Leone19.9Africa
186Belarus19.6Europe
187Panama19.4North America
188Colombia19.4South America
189Türkiye18.5Asia
190Saudi Arabia17.6Asia
191Bolivia17.4South America
192Somalia17.3Africa
193Peru17.0South America
194Eswatini17.0Africa
195Chile16.9South America
196Zambia16.5Africa
197United Arab Emirates16.4Asia
198Liberia16.3Africa
199Bhutan14.6Asia
200South Korea14.4Asia
201Maldives13.5Asia
202Vanuatu12.9Oceania
203Qatar12.7Asia
204Angola12.0Africa
205Zimbabwe11.8Africa
206Djibouti9.4Africa
207Solomon Islands8.4Oceania
208Kuwait7.5Asia
209Republic of the Congo6.9Africa
210Equatorial Guinea6.6Africa
211Bahrain4.4Asia
212Hong Kong3.2Asia
213Macao0.7Asia
214Singapore0.4Asia
215Monaco0.0Europe
UN WUP 2025 · 2025 · CC BY 3.0 IGO Source and licence

Biggest changes, 2015-2025

change in percentage points · 215 countries

Largest increase

  1. Turks and Caicos Islands 59.0 → 82.0 +22.9 pp
  2. Tuvalu 60.1 → 74.9 +14.8 pp
  3. Uganda 48.2 → 60.4 +12.2 pp
  4. Malawi 48.3 → 59.3 +11.0 pp
  5. Burundi 63.4 → 73.0 +9.6 pp

Largest decrease

  1. Curaçao 54.3 → 35.1 −19.1 pp
  2. Palau 56.3 → 39.5 −16.8 pp
  3. Vanuatu 28.1 → 12.9 −15.2 pp
  4. Equatorial Guinea 18.5 → 6.6 −11.9 pp
  5. Oman 45.6 → 35.1 −10.5 pp

Continents over time

median country of each continent

Living in towns - continent medians

%

Africa Asia Europe North America South America Oceania

20 30 40 50 60 1950 Africa: 35.25 Asia: 36.32 Europe: 36.15 North America: 40.2 South America: 33.09 Oceania: 23.7 1951 Africa: 35.25 Asia: 36.86 Europe: 36.06 North America: 40.37 South America: 33.09 Oceania: 24.18 1952 Africa: 35.1 Asia: 36.91 Europe: 35.97 North America: 40.54 South America: 33.1 Oceania: 28.07 1953 Africa: 34.94 Asia: 36.96 Europe: 35.88 North America: 40.71 South America: 33.12 Oceania: 32.18 1954 Africa: 34.78 Asia: 36.8 Europe: 35.79 North America: 40.84 South America: 32.79 Oceania: 32.59 1955 Africa: 34.67 Asia: 36.64 Europe: 35.7 North America: 40.93 South America: 32.49 Oceania: 32.99 1956 Africa: 34.95 Asia: 36.34 Europe: 35.55 North America: 41.25 South America: 32.39 Oceania: 33.65 1957 Africa: 34.88 Asia: 36.09 Europe: 35.37 North America: 41.51 South America: 32.3 Oceania: 34.27 1958 Africa: 35.07 Asia: 35.86 Europe: 35.27 North America: 41.63 South America: 31.95 Oceania: 34.85 1959 Africa: 35.25 Asia: 35.77 Europe: 35.13 North America: 41.74 South America: 31.55 Oceania: 35.4 1960 Africa: 35.56 Asia: 35.68 Europe: 35.02 North America: 41.85 South America: 31.16 Oceania: 35.93 1961 Africa: 35.49 Asia: 35.55 Europe: 35.34 North America: 41.87 South America: 31.2 Oceania: 34.17 1962 Africa: 35.55 Asia: 35.22 Europe: 35.71 North America: 41.72 South America: 31.23 Oceania: 32.53 1963 Africa: 35.61 Asia: 35.15 Europe: 35.43 North America: 41.78 South America: 31.15 Oceania: 30.98 1964 Africa: 35.33 Asia: 35.22 Europe: 34.99 North America: 41.81 South America: 30.89 Oceania: 30.82 1965 Africa: 34.78 Asia: 35.13 Europe: 34.58 North America: 41.71 South America: 30.64 Oceania: 33.11 1966 Africa: 34.43 Asia: 35.21 Europe: 34.3 North America: 41.47 South America: 30.35 Oceania: 34.3 1967 Africa: 34.13 Asia: 34.99 Europe: 34.09 North America: 41.37 South America: 30.08 Oceania: 35.59 1968 Africa: 33.77 Asia: 34.76 Europe: 33.91 North America: 41.1 South America: 29.83 Oceania: 40.9 1969 Africa: 33.13 Asia: 34.67 Europe: 33.72 North America: 39.75 South America: 29.58 Oceania: 40.88 1970 Africa: 32.26 Asia: 34.66 Europe: 33.54 North America: 39.34 South America: 29.35 Oceania: 40.85 1971 Africa: 31.73 Asia: 34.44 Europe: 33.71 North America: 39.1 South America: 29.15 Oceania: 40.95 1972 Africa: 31.6 Asia: 34.19 Europe: 34.05 North America: 38.77 South America: 28.95 Oceania: 41.04 1973 Africa: 31.2 Asia: 34.07 Europe: 34.02 North America: 38.32 South America: 28.76 Oceania: 41.13 1974 Africa: 30.99 Asia: 34.07 Europe: 33.61 North America: 37.88 South America: 28.58 Oceania: 41.21 1975 Africa: 29.91 Asia: 34.35 Europe: 33.66 North America: 37.45 South America: 28.41 Oceania: 41.43 1976 Africa: 30.04 Asia: 34.3 Europe: 33.63 North America: 37.37 South America: 28.2 Oceania: 41.08 1977 Africa: 29.25 Asia: 34.25 Europe: 33.6 North America: 37.3 South America: 28.12 Oceania: 39.44 1978 Africa: 28.96 Asia: 34.36 Europe: 33.57 North America: 38.35 South America: 28.23 Oceania: 38.54 1979 Africa: 28.78 Asia: 34.47 Europe: 33.69 North America: 38.9 South America: 27.45 Oceania: 37.7 1980 Africa: 28.34 Asia: 34.58 Europe: 34.52 North America: 38.71 South America: 26.43 Oceania: 36.91 1981 Africa: 27.86 Asia: 34.49 Europe: 34.7 North America: 38.53 South America: 26.01 Oceania: 37.45 1982 Africa: 27.57 Asia: 34.39 Europe: 34.61 North America: 38.57 South America: 25.6 Oceania: 37.73 1983 Africa: 27.5 Asia: 33.97 Europe: 34.5 North America: 38.19 South America: 25.21 Oceania: 38.26 1984 Africa: 27.44 Asia: 33.84 Europe: 34.45 North America: 38.25 South America: 24.82 Oceania: 38.82 1985 Africa: 27.11 Asia: 34.01 Europe: 34.4 North America: 38.77 South America: 24.49 Oceania: 39.13 1986 Africa: 27.43 Asia: 34.45 Europe: 34.24 North America: 39.42 South America: 24.36 Oceania: 39.13 1987 Africa: 26.79 Asia: 34.75 Europe: 34.08 North America: 39.02 South America: 24.23 Oceania: 39.13 1988 Africa: 26.85 Asia: 34.28 Europe: 33.92 North America: 38.76 South America: 24.1 Oceania: 39.13 1989 Africa: 27.24 Asia: 34.1 Europe: 33.76 North America: 39.15 South America: 23.98 Oceania: 39.13 1990 Africa: 27.42 Asia: 34.39 Europe: 33.61 North America: 39.53 South America: 23.87 Oceania: 39.14 1991 Africa: 27.47 Asia: 34.87 Europe: 33.44 North America: 39.55 South America: 23.79 Oceania: 38.65 1992 Africa: 27.36 Asia: 34.85 Europe: 33.39 North America: 39.56 South America: 23.72 Oceania: 38.18 1993 Africa: 27.17 Asia: 35.02 Europe: 33.33 North America: 39.73 South America: 23.65 Oceania: 37.71 1994 Africa: 26.95 Asia: 34.98 Europe: 33.3 North America: 40.29 South America: 23.58 Oceania: 37.84 1995 Africa: 26.76 Asia: 34.72 Europe: 33.26 North America: 40.99 South America: 23.52 Oceania: 38.35 1996 Africa: 26.86 Asia: 34.46 Europe: 33.24 North America: 40.64 South America: 23.42 Oceania: 39.66 1997 Africa: 27 Asia: 33.98 Europe: 33.55 North America: 40.64 South America: 23.32 Oceania: 40.93 1998 Africa: 27.13 Asia: 33.48 Europe: 33.73 North America: 40.68 South America: 23.22 Oceania: 42.16 1999 Africa: 27.16 Asia: 33.07 Europe: 33.82 North America: 40.71 South America: 23.12 Oceania: 43.34 2000 Africa: 27.24 Asia: 32.93 Europe: 33.91 North America: 40.75 South America: 23.04 Oceania: 43.17 2001 Africa: 27.13 Asia: 32.54 Europe: 34.01 North America: 40.71 South America: 22.88 Oceania: 42.22 2002 Africa: 27 Asia: 32.08 Europe: 34.11 North America: 40.66 South America: 22.72 Oceania: 41.3 2003 Africa: 26.94 Asia: 31.72 Europe: 34.21 North America: 40.6 South America: 22.61 Oceania: 40.4 2004 Africa: 26.96 Asia: 31.37 Europe: 33.86 North America: 40.54 South America: 22.85 Oceania: 39.52 2005 Africa: 26.51 Asia: 31.14 Europe: 33.92 North America: 39.54 South America: 23.07 Oceania: 38.67 2006 Africa: 26.47 Asia: 30.51 Europe: 34.15 North America: 39.58 South America: 23.37 Oceania: 38.59 2007 Africa: 26.03 Asia: 30.77 Europe: 34.04 North America: 39.83 South America: 23.67 Oceania: 38.51 2008 Africa: 25.88 Asia: 30.62 Europe: 33.92 North America: 40.07 South America: 23.88 Oceania: 38.42 2009 Africa: 26.16 Asia: 30.47 Europe: 33.94 North America: 40.3 South America: 23.89 Oceania: 43.57 2010 Africa: 26.32 Asia: 30.32 Europe: 34.11 North America: 40.62 South America: 23.89 Oceania: 51.45 2011 Africa: 26.02 Asia: 30.74 Europe: 34.35 North America: 40.72 South America: 23.79 Oceania: 52.56 2012 Africa: 25.91 Asia: 30.5 Europe: 34.58 North America: 40.82 South America: 23.7 Oceania: 53.63 2013 Africa: 25.84 Asia: 30.26 Europe: 34.74 North America: 41.74 South America: 23.61 Oceania: 54.67 2014 Africa: 25.95 Asia: 30.04 Europe: 34.71 North America: 41.62 South America: 23.52 Oceania: 55.68 2015 Africa: 25.77 Asia: 29.67 Europe: 34.68 North America: 41.61 South America: 23.43 Oceania: 56.31 2016 Africa: 25.48 Asia: 29.12 Europe: 34.71 North America: 41.91 South America: 23.26 Oceania: 52.9 2017 Africa: 25.33 Asia: 28.85 Europe: 34.73 North America: 42.02 South America: 23.31 Oceania: 49.5 2018 Africa: 25.28 Asia: 28.85 Europe: 34.76 North America: 41.99 South America: 23.41 Oceania: 46.09 2019 Africa: 25.12 Asia: 28.91 Europe: 34.78 North America: 42.15 South America: 23.5 Oceania: 42.69 2020 Africa: 24.95 Asia: 29.17 Europe: 34.8 North America: 42.39 South America: 23.6 Oceania: 39.29 2021 Africa: 25.55 Asia: 29.04 Europe: 34.89 North America: 42.39 South America: 23.79 Oceania: 39.32 2022 Africa: 26.02 Asia: 28.92 Europe: 34.97 North America: 42.55 South America: 23.98 Oceania: 39.36 2023 Africa: 26.34 Asia: 28.79 Europe: 35.04 North America: 42.72 South America: 24.16 Oceania: 39.4 2024 Africa: 26.41 Asia: 28.66 Europe: 35.1 North America: 42.89 South America: 24.34 Oceania: 39.43 2025 Africa: 26.44 Asia: 28.54 Europe: 35.16 North America: 42.97 South America: 24.52 Oceania: 39.47 1950 1972 1983 1994 2005 2025

By continent

median country
Africa 26.4 %
Asia 28.5 %
Europe 35.2 %
North America 43.0 %
South America 24.5 %
Oceania 39.5 %

Tick a country in the table to add it to the chart above, up to six at a time. The ranking uses the latest year for which at least half of the countries have a value; countries without a value that year are not listed.