Urban population in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Urban population was 33.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Bangladesh, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Bangladesh is 33.2%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Bangladesh peaked at 33.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.1%, in 1960.
That places Bangladesh 188th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.1% | — |
| 1961 | 5.3% | +3.2% |
| 1962 | 5.5% | +3.6% |
| 1963 | 5.7% | +3.5% |
| 1964 | 5.9% | +3.5% |
| 1965 | 6.1% | +3.6% |
| 1966 | 6.3% | +3.7% |
| 1967 | 6.5% | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 6.8% | +4.0% |
| 1969 | 7.1% | +4.2% |
| 1970 | 7.4% | +4.4% |
| 1971 | 7.7% | +4.6% |
| 1972 | 8.1% | +4.8% |
| 1973 | 8.5% | +5.0% |
| 1974 | 9.0% | +5.5% |
| 1975 | 9.6% | +7.6% |
| 1976 | 10.6% | +9.5% |
| 1977 | 11.6% | +10.0% |
| 1978 | 12.7% | +9.5% |
| 1979 | 13.8% | +8.3% |
| 1980 | 14.7% | +6.7% |
| 1981 | 15.4% | +4.9% |
| 1982 | 16.0% | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 16.6% | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 17.1% | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 17.6% | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 18.1% | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 18.6% | +2.5% |
| 1988 | 19.0% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 19.4% | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 19.9% | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 20.3% | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 20.6% | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 21.0% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 21.3% | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 21.7% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 22.0% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 22.3% | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 22.6% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 23.0% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 23.3% | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 23.7% | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 24.1% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 24.6% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 25.0% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 25.5% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 25.9% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 26.4% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 26.9% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 27.3% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 27.7% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 28.1% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 28.5% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 28.8% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 29.2% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 29.5% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 29.9% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 30.2% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 30.5% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 30.8% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 31.1% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 31.4% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 31.7% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 32.2% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 32.7% | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 33.2% | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.0% | 5.1% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.9% | 7.4% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.3% | 14.7% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.5% | 19.9% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.3% | 23.3% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.3% | 27.7% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.0% | 31.1% | 33.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More climate change data for Bangladesh
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 53,978 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,421 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 42,556 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 43.1 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,520 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 45,925 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 15,205 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 30,719 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 57.38 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 1,097 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Bangladesh?
- Urban population in Bangladesh was 33.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 33.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.1% in 1960.
- How does Bangladesh rank for urban population?
- Bangladesh ranks 188th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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.