Urban population, per square kilometre in European Union
European Union: Urban population, per square kilometre was 84.3 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
84.3 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 0.5%
Rank
4th
of 47 groups
All-time high
84.3 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
59.34 units per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Urban population, per square kilometre in European Union, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
European Union recorded 84.3 units per square kilometre for urban population, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population, per square kilometre in European Union peaked at 84.3 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 59.34 units per square kilometre, in 1961.
That places European Union 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Urban population, per square kilometre in European Union, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 59.34 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 60.44 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1963 | 61.62 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 62.92 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 64.22 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 65.45 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1967 | 66.61 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 67.68 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 68.72 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 69.64 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1971 | 70.52 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 71.46 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 72.38 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 73.26 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 73.99 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 74.74 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 75.44 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 76.07 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 76.71 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 77.47 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 78.11 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 78.61 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 79.07 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 79.5 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 79.88 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 80.32 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 80.77 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 81.24 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 81.74 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 82.18 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 82.57 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 77.69 units per square kilometre | -5.9% |
| 1993 | 75.61 units per square kilometre | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 75.94 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 76.21 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 76.5 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 76.85 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 77.11 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 77.37 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 77.01 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 77.37 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 77.78 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 78.22 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 78.68 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 79.16 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 79.62 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 80.04 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 80.46 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 80.79 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 81.07 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 81.07 units per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 81.34 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 81.58 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 81.83 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 82.2 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 82.6 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 82.85 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 83.13 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 83.44 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 83.54 units per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 83.52 units per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 83.84 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 84.3 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 64.11 units per square kilometre | 59.34 units per square kilometre | 68.72 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 73.42 units per square kilometre | 69.64 units per square kilometre | 76.71 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 79.67 units per square kilometre | 77.47 units per square kilometre | 81.74 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.8 units per square kilometre | 75.61 units per square kilometre | 82.57 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.91 units per square kilometre | 77.01 units per square kilometre | 80.79 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.11 units per square kilometre | 81.07 units per square kilometre | 83.44 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.8 units per square kilometre | 83.52 units per square kilometre | 84.3 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near European Union
- 1 Macau, China 20,570 units per square kilometre compare
- 2 Monaco 18,693 units per square kilometre compare
- 3 Singapore 8,242 units per square kilometre compare
- 4 Hong Kong, China 7,177 units per square kilometre compare
- 5 Gibraltar 3,847 units per square kilometre compare
- 6 Bahrain 1,971 units per square kilometre compare
- 7 Malta 1,652 units per square kilometre compare
More climate change data for European Union
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.1997 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.3919 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.7517 units per person (2025)
- Urban population 75.2% (2025)
- Urban population 339.13 million (2025)
- Population, total 451.13 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population, per square kilometre in European Union?
- Urban population, per square kilometre in European Union was 84.3 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 84.3 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.34 units per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does European Union rank for urban population, per square kilometre?
- European Union ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is urban population, per square kilometre rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this European Union data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Urban population, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Urban population ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Urban population World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Urban population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.