Urban population, per square kilometre in North America
North America: Urban population, per square kilometre was 16.88 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
16.88 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 1.1%
Rank
43rd
of 47 groups
All-time high
16.88 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
7.84 units per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Urban population, per square kilometre in North America, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2023, urban population, per square kilometre in North America stood at 16.88 units per square kilometre. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population, per square kilometre in North America peaked at 16.88 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7.84 units per square kilometre, in 1961.
North America ranks 43rd of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Urban population, per square kilometre in North America, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7.84 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 8.03 units per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 8.2 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 8.38 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 8.54 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1966 | 8.7 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1967 | 8.84 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 8.97 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 9.09 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 9.21 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1971 | 9.35 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 9.45 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1973 | 9.55 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 9.64 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 9.74 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 9.84 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 9.94 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 10.05 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 10.17 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 10.27 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 10.39 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 10.5 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 10.61 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 10.73 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 10.85 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 10.97 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 11.1 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 11.23 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 11.38 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 11.54 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 11.73 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 11.95 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 12.16 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 12.38 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 12.6 units per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 12.82 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 13.04 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 13.25 units per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 13.45 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 13.64 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 13.82 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 13.99 units per square kilometre | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 14.16 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 14.33 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 14.5 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 14.67 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 14.84 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 15.02 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 15.17 units per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 15.31 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 15.43 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 15.56 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 15.68 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 15.8 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 15.92 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 16.04 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 16.14 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 16.23 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 16.31 units per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 16.37 units per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 16.57 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 16.7 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 16.88 units per square kilometre | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.51 units per square kilometre | 7.84 units per square kilometre | 9.09 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 9.69 units per square kilometre | 9.21 units per square kilometre | 10.17 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.8 units per square kilometre | 10.27 units per square kilometre | 11.38 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.49 units per square kilometre | 11.54 units per square kilometre | 13.45 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.41 units per square kilometre | 13.64 units per square kilometre | 15.17 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.84 units per square kilometre | 15.31 units per square kilometre | 16.31 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.63 units per square kilometre | 16.37 units per square kilometre | 16.88 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near North America
- 40 American Samoa 193.34 units per square kilometre compare
- 41 Switzerland 191.65 units per square kilometre compare
- 42 Dominican Republic 170.11 units per square kilometre compare
- 43 Gambia 170.09 units per square kilometre compare
- 44 India 169.62 units per square kilometre compare
- 45 Marshall Islands 169.03 units per square kilometre compare
- 46 Sao Tome and Principe 164.99 units per square kilometre compare
More climate change data for North America
- Population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.8049 units per person (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6692 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population 308.67 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.7% (2025)
- Population, total 383.50 million (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.5691 % change on previous year (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals (Greenhouse gas, Total, Metric ton of) 0.472 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population, per square kilometre in North America?
- Urban population, per square kilometre in North America was 16.88 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in North America?
- The highest recorded value was 16.88 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest urban population, per square kilometre recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.84 units per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does North America rank for urban population, per square kilometre?
- North America ranks 43rd out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is urban population, per square kilometre rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North America 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.