Urban population (% of total population) in Canada
Canada: Urban population (% of total population) was 82.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Canada, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Canada recorded 82.9% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Canada peaked at 82.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 69.0%, in 1960.
Canada ranks 51st of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population (% of total population) in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 69.0% | — |
| 1961 | 69.7% | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 70.4% | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 71.3% | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 72.1% | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 72.9% | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 73.6% | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 74.3% | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 75.0% | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 75.5% | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 75.9% | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 76.1% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 76.0% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 75.9% | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 75.7% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 75.6% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 75.5% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 75.5% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 75.6% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 75.6% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 75.7% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 75.7% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 75.9% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 76.0% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 76.2% | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 76.4% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 76.5% | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 76.5% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 76.5% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 76.5% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 76.6% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 76.6% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 76.7% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 77.0% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 77.3% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 77.6% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 77.9% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 78.1% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 78.3% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 78.4% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 78.6% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 78.8% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 79.1% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 79.4% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 79.7% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 80.0% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 80.2% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 80.4% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 80.7% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 80.9% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 81.0% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 81.1% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 81.2% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 81.2% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 81.2% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 81.2% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 81.3% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 81.4% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 81.5% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 81.7% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 82.0% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 82.2% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 82.4% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 82.5% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 82.7% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 82.9% | +0.2% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 82.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.3%, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 72.4% | 69.0% | 75.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 75.8% | 75.5% | 76.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 76.2% | 75.7% | 76.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.5% | 76.6% | 78.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.8% | 78.6% | 80.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.3% | 81.0% | 81.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.4% | 82.0% | 82.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 48 New Zealand 84.0% compare
- 49 Norway 83.6% compare
- 50 United Kingdom 83.3% compare
- 52 Germany 82.1% compare
- 53 Bahamas 81.3% compare
- 54 South Korea 81.2% compare
More climate change data for Canada
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 2.27 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 44,359 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 9,631 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 34,728 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 36.34 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1,240 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 17,229 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 16,823 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 406.39 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 63.48 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Canada?
- Urban population in Canada was 82.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 82.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.0% in 1960.
- How does Canada rank for urban population?
- Canada ranks 51st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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.