Urban population growth in South Asia
South Asia: Urban population growth was 1.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in South Asia, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
South Asia recorded 1.8% for urban population growth in 2025.
The figure is down 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in South Asia peaked at 4.9% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2022.
South Asia ranks 20th of 45 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 South Asia, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.1% | — |
| 1962 | 3.2% | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 3.3% | +2.3% |
| 1964 | 3.4% | +2.9% |
| 1965 | 3.4% | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 3.3% | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 3.4% | +2.4% |
| 1968 | 3.5% | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 3.5% | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 3.6% | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 3.6% | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 3.8% | +5.7% |
| 1973 | 4.2% | +10.3% |
| 1974 | 4.5% | +6.2% |
| 1975 | 4.7% | +5.6% |
| 1976 | 4.9% | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 4.9% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 4.7% | -3.4% |
| 1979 | 4.5% | -4.2% |
| 1980 | 4.2% | -5.8% |
| 1981 | 3.8% | -9.6% |
| 1982 | 3.6% | -6.1% |
| 1983 | 3.5% | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 3.4% | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 3.3% | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 3.2% | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 3.1% | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 3.1% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 3.0% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 3.0% | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 3.0% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 2.9% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 2.8% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 2.8% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 2.8% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 2.9% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 2.9% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 2.9% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 3.0% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 2.9% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 2.8% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 2.6% | -6.1% |
| 2012 | 2.3% | -9.6% |
| 2013 | 2.2% | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 2.1% | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 2.1% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 1.9% | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | -8.1% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 1.8% | +7.1% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 1.8% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.5% | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.3% | 3.6% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.4% | 3.0% | 4.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 17 Mauritania 4.2% compare
- 18 Papua New Guinea 4.1% compare
- 19 Angola 4.1% compare
- 20 Democratic Republic of Congo 4.0% compare
- 21 Oman 4.0% compare
- 22 Qatar 4.0% compare
- 23 Benin 3.9% compare
More climate change data for South Asia
- Population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Population, total 1.69 billion (2025)
- Urban population 605.70 million (2025)
- Urban population 35.8% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 16.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 706.16 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 37.6% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 9.2% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 4.6% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 0.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in South Asia?
- Urban population growth in South Asia was 1.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9% in 1977.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2022.
- How does South Asia rank for urban population growth?
- South Asia ranks 20th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia 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.