Urban population growth in Least developed countries
Least developed countries: Urban population growth 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 45 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.
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
- Population growth 2.3% (2025)
- Population, total 1.21 billion (2025)
- Urban population 444.81 million (2025)
- Urban population 36.6% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 13.7% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 198.48 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 4.4% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 15.2% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 11.2% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 4.2% (2025)
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 45 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.