Urban population (% of total population) in Australia
Australia: Urban population (% of total population) was 87.7% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Urban population in Australia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Australia is 87.7%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Australia peaked at 87.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 81.6%, in 1960.
That places Australia 41st out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Urban population (% of total population) in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 81.6% | — |
| 1961 | 81.9% | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 82.2% | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 82.5% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 82.7% | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 82.9% | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 83.2% | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 83.6% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 84.2% | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 84.8% | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 85.3% | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 85.6% | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 85.7% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 85.8% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 85.9% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 86.0% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 86.0% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 86.0% | -0.0% |
| 1978 | 85.9% | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 85.9% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 85.8% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 85.7% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 85.6% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 85.5% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 85.4% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 85.4% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 85.4% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 85.4% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 85.4% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 85.4% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 85.4% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 85.4% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 85.4% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 85.4% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 85.3% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 85.3% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 85.2% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 85.2% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 85.2% | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 85.1% | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 85.1% | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 85.1% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 85.3% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 85.4% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 85.5% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 85.6% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 85.7% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 85.9% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 86.0% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 86.1% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 86.2% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 86.3% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 86.4% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 86.6% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 86.7% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 86.9% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 87.0% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 87.1% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 87.2% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 87.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 87.3% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 87.2% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 87.3% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 87.5% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 87.6% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 87.7% | +0.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 87.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.3%, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 87.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 65.4%, 1.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 83.0% | 81.6% | 84.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 85.8% | 85.3% | 86.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 85.5% | 85.4% | 85.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 85.3% | 85.1% | 85.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 85.6% | 85.1% | 86.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.8% | 86.2% | 87.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.4% | 87.2% | 87.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More climate change data for Australia
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.30 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 118,578 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 34,162 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 84,416 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 128.91 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 3,015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 12,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,966 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,507 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 41.38 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Australia?
- Urban population in Australia was 87.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 87.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 81.6% in 1960.
- How does Australia rank for urban population?
- Australia ranks 41st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Australia 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.