Urban population growth (annual %) in Nauru
Nauru: Urban population growth (annual %) was 0.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in Nauru, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Nauru recorded 0.7% for urban population growth in 2025.
The figure is up 7.7% on the previous year and down 66.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Nauru peaked at 5.6% in 1965 and was at its lowest, -0.5%, in 2002.
That places Nauru 146th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth (annual %) in Nauru, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.6% | — |
| 1962 | 4.2% | +18.1% |
| 1963 | 4.8% | +15.2% |
| 1964 | 5.4% | +11.2% |
| 1965 | 5.6% | +3.8% |
| 1966 | 3.6% | -36.4% |
| 1967 | 1.5% | -57.5% |
| 1968 | 3.1% | +105.0% |
| 1969 | 3.9% | +26.6% |
| 1970 | 1.9% | -50.5% |
| 1971 | 0.8% | -60.2% |
| 1972 | 0.7% | -4.6% |
| 1973 | 0.8% | +7.2% |
| 1974 | 0.8% | +4.7% |
| 1975 | 0.9% | +11.3% |
| 1976 | 1.1% | +19.1% |
| 1977 | 1.4% | +27.0% |
| 1978 | 1.9% | +34.2% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | +23.3% |
| 1980 | 2.4% | +4.0% |
| 1981 | 2.5% | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 2.5% | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | -14.5% |
| 1984 | 1.9% | -10.4% |
| 1985 | 2.1% | +5.9% |
| 1986 | 2.2% | +7.5% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 2.4% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 2.4% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | -4.0% |
| 1992 | 1.7% | -26.5% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | -53.2% |
| 1994 | 0.3% | -57.0% |
| 1995 | 0.3% | -20.2% |
| 1996 | 0.2% | -35.9% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | -22.3% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | -92.9% |
| 1999 | -0.1% | -1200.5% |
| 2000 | -0.2% | +73.0% |
| 2001 | -0.4% | +100.6% |
| 2002 | -0.5% | +26.9% |
| 2003 | -0.2% | -51.9% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | -104.4% |
| 2005 | -0.1% | -1200.5% |
| 2006 | -0.1% | +36.5% |
| 2007 | -0.1% | -6.5% |
| 2008 | -0.1% | -21.3% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | -163.6% |
| 2010 | 0.3% | +285.1% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | +102.9% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | +203.9% |
| 2013 | 2.4% | +45.0% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | -12.0% |
| 2015 | 2.0% | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 1.8% | -9.3% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -12.7% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -13.3% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -28.9% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -49.5% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | +17.2% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | +38.5% |
| 2023 | 0.6% | -20.1% |
| 2024 | 0.6% | -3.3% |
| 2025 | 0.7% | +7.7% |
Nauru compared with similar countries
- Nauru's 0.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.6%, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Nauru's 0.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.9%, 70% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban population growth (annual %) in Nauru 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | -1200.5% | 0.0% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | -1200.5% | 0.0% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | +285.1% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | +203.9% | 0.5% | 1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.0% | 1.5% | 5.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.3% | 0.7% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8% | -0.1% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.2% | -0.5% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 0.3% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nauru
More climate change data for Nauru
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 0 kg (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.3975 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2.2 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.0015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.0787 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0 kt (2023)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 0 kt (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Nauru?
- Urban population growth in Nauru was 0.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Nauru?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 1965.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Nauru?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.5% in 2002.
- How does Nauru rank for urban population growth?
- Nauru ranks 146th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Nauru?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nauru 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.