Urban population in Arab World
Arab World: Urban population was 60.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Arab World, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Arab World recorded 60.0% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Arab World peaked at 60.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 30.9%, in 1960.
Arab World ranks 17th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Arab World, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 30.9% | — |
| 1961 | 31.7% | +2.4% |
| 1962 | 32.5% | +2.6% |
| 1963 | 33.3% | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 34.1% | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 34.8% | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 35.5% | +1.9% |
| 1967 | 36.1% | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 36.8% | +1.9% |
| 1969 | 37.5% | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 38.2% | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 38.8% | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 39.5% | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 40.0% | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 40.6% | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 41.2% | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 41.7% | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 42.2% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 42.7% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 43.2% | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 43.7% | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 44.3% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 44.9% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 45.4% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 46.0% | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 46.7% | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 47.3% | +1.4% |
| 1987 | 47.9% | +1.3% |
| 1988 | 48.5% | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 49.1% | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 49.5% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 49.9% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 50.3% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 50.7% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 50.9% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 51.1% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 51.4% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 51.6% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 51.9% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 52.2% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 52.4% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 52.7% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 53.0% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 53.4% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 53.7% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 54.0% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 54.3% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 54.7% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 55.0% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 55.4% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 55.6% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 56.1% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 56.8% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 57.6% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 58.0% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 58.4% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 58.6% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 58.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 58.8% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 58.9% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 59.1% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 59.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 59.3% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 59.6% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 59.8% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 60.0% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 34.3% | 30.9% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 40.8% | 38.2% | 43.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.4% | 43.7% | 49.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.0% | 49.5% | 52.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.9% | 52.4% | 55.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.7% | 55.6% | 58.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.5% | 59.1% | 60.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
- 14 San Marino 97.2% compare
- 15 Netherlands 95.9% compare
- 16 Malta 95.7% compare
- 17 Uruguay 95.7% compare
- 18 United States Virgin Islands 95.4% compare
- 19 Luxembourg 94.9% compare
- 20 Turks and Caicos Islands 94.4% compare
More climate change data for Arab World
- Population growth 2.2% (2025)
- Population, total 503.36 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 2.5% (2025)
- Urban population 302.20 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 22.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 230.73 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 205.4% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 6.4% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 5.8% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 3.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Arab World?
- Urban population in Arab World was 60.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 60.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.9% in 1960.
- How does Arab World rank for urban population?
- Arab World ranks 17th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Arab World data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.