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

12 countries in South America, 2025. Unit: % of population. World ranking →

First in the ranking
45.5 %
Guyana
Median country
24.5 %
half above, half below
World
35.6 %
United Nations aggregate
Range
16.9 to 45.5
Chile - Guyana

How to read it

Across 12 countries in South America, the highest value is in Guyana (45.5 %) and the lowest in Chile (16.9 %).

The median country is at 24.5 %: half are above, half below.

Compare selected countries · on the world map

Source: United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects 2025 · licence

Living in towns over time

%

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Ranking of countries

2025
In chart Share of the highest value
1Guyana45.5
2Suriname33.9
3Uruguay33.7
4Venezuela26.6
5Brazil25.6
6Paraguay25.5
7Ecuador23.6
8Argentina22.3
9Colombia19.4
10Bolivia17.4
11Peru17.0
12Chile16.9
UN WUP 2025 · 2025 · CC BY 3.0 IGO Source and licence

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.