Urban population growth (annual %) in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Urban population growth (annual %) was 3.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Least developed countries, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in Least developed countries stood at 3.6%.
That represents a change of down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Least developed countries peaked at 6.4% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 2023.
That places Least developed countries 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth (annual %) in Least developed countries, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.0% | — |
| 1962 | 5.1% | +2.2% |
| 1963 | 5.1% | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 5.3% | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 5.4% | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 5.4% | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 5.4% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 5.6% | +3.5% |
| 1969 | 6.0% | +6.6% |
| 1970 | 6.1% | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 6.2% | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 6.4% | +4.0% |
| 1973 | 6.1% | -4.1% |
| 1974 | 3.8% | -38.9% |
| 1975 | 4.0% | +7.8% |
| 1976 | 6.2% | +54.1% |
| 1977 | 6.2% | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 6.2% | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 6.3% | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 5.6% | -10.4% |
| 1981 | 4.7% | -15.6% |
| 1982 | 4.8% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 4.9% | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 4.9% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 4.9% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 4.8% | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 4.9% | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 4.6% | -4.4% |
| 1989 | 4.6% | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 4.4% | -3.2% |
| 1991 | 4.5% | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 4.3% | -4.4% |
| 1993 | 4.3% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 4.4% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 4.3% | -3.4% |
| 1996 | 4.0% | -5.8% |
| 1997 | 4.0% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 4.1% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 4.0% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 4.0% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 4.1% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 4.2% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 4.2% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 4.2% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 3.9% | -5.4% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | +6.1% |
| 2009 | 4.0% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 3.9% | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 3.8% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 3.7% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 3.8% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 3.8% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 3.8% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 3.6% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 3.6% | +2.5% |
| 2025 | 3.6% | -0.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban population growth (annual %) in Least developed countries changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +54.1% | 4.0% | 6.2% |
| 1974 | -38.9% | 6.1% | 3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.4% | 5.0% | 6.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.7% | 3.8% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.9% | 4.6% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.2% | 4.0% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.1% | 3.9% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.5% | 3.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Least developed countries
- 2 Chad 5.7% compare
- 3 Rwanda 5.6% compare
- 4 Niger 5.0% compare
- 5 Mozambique 4.9% compare
- 6 United Arab Emirates 4.9% compare
- 7 Saudi Arabia 4.8% compare
- 8 Tanzania 4.8% compare
More climate change data for Least developed countries
- Urban population, annual growth rate 3.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.3664 units per person (2025)
- Urban population 444.81 million (2025)
- Population, total 1.21 billion (2025)
- Population growth 2.3% (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 2.32 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per square kilometre 56.96 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Urban population, per square kilometre 20.33 units per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Least developed countries?
- Urban population growth in Least developed countries was 3.6% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Least developed countries?
- The highest recorded value was 6.4% in 1972.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Least developed countries?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 2023.
- How does Least developed countries rank for urban population growth?
- Least developed countries ranks 5th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Least developed countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Least developed 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
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.