Urban population growth in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Urban population growth was 1.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 1.0% for urban population growth in 2025.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 24.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 4.3% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2021.
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 30th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.3% | — |
| 1962 | 4.3% | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 4.3% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 4.2% | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 4.2% | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 4.2% | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 4.1% | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 4.1% | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 4.0% | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 4.0% | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 4.0% | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 4.0% | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 4.0% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 4.0% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 3.9% | -1.3% |
| 1976 | 3.9% | -1.7% |
| 1977 | 3.8% | -1.9% |
| 1978 | 3.7% | -2.5% |
| 1979 | 3.6% | -3.6% |
| 1980 | 3.4% | -4.6% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | -4.5% |
| 1982 | 3.1% | -3.2% |
| 1983 | 3.1% | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 3.0% | -2.2% |
| 1985 | 2.9% | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 2.8% | -2.7% |
| 1987 | 2.8% | -2.5% |
| 1988 | 2.7% | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 2.7% | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 2.6% | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 2.5% | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 2.4% | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 2.3% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 2.3% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 2.4% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 2.3% | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 2.1% | -6.8% |
| 2001 | 2.0% | -7.1% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 1.8% | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 1.6% | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 1.5% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 1.5% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 1.4% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 1.4% | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 1.4% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 1.3% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -9.2% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | -14.4% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 1.0% | +13.0% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 1.0% | -2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.2% | 4.0% | 4.3% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.9% | 3.6% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 27 Afghanistan 3.7% compare
- 28 Yemen 3.5% compare
- 29 Togo 3.5% compare
- 30 Guinea 3.5% compare
- 31 Côte d'Ivoire 3.5% compare
- 32 South Sudan 3.5% compare
- 33 Zimbabwe 3.4% compare
More climate change data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Population, total 651.47 million (2025)
- Urban population 531.01 million (2025)
- Urban population 81.5% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 39.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 346.2 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 2.5% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 24.5% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 24.2% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 23.8% (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Urban population growth in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 1.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 4.3% in 1962.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2021.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for urban population growth?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 30th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.