Urban population in European Union
European Union: Urban population was 75.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in European Union, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in European Union is 75.2%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in European Union peaked at 75.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 58.4%, in 1960.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in European Union, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 58.4% | — |
| 1961 | 59.0% | +1.0% |
| 1962 | 59.6% | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 60.2% | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 61.0% | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 61.7% | +1.2% |
| 1966 | 62.4% | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 63.0% | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 63.6% | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 64.1% | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 64.6% | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 65.1% | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 65.5% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 65.9% | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 66.3% | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 66.6% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 66.9% | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 67.2% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 67.5% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 67.7% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 68.1% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 68.4% | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 68.6% | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 68.8% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 69.0% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 69.2% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 69.4% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 69.6% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 69.8% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 69.9% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 70.1% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 70.2% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 70.3% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 70.4% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 70.6% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 70.7% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 70.9% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 71.1% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 71.2% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 71.3% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 71.5% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 71.8% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 71.9% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 72.1% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 72.2% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 72.4% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 72.6% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 72.7% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 72.8% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 72.9% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 73.1% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 73.2% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 73.4% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 73.5% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 73.7% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 73.9% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 74.1% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 74.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 74.3% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 74.5% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 74.5% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 74.6% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 74.8% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 74.9% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 75.0% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 75.2% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 61.3% | 58.4% | 64.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 66.3% | 64.6% | 67.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 69.1% | 68.1% | 69.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 70.7% | 70.1% | 71.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 72.3% | 71.5% | 72.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.8% | 73.1% | 74.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.8% | 74.5% | 75.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near European Union
- 1 Bahrain 100.0% compare
- 1 Bermuda 100.0% compare
- 1 Cayman Islands 100.0% compare
- 1 Gibraltar 100.0% compare
- 1 Hong Kong 100.0% compare
- 1 Kuwait 100.0% compare
- 1 Macao 100.0% compare
- 1 Monaco 100.0% compare
- 1 Nauru 100.0% compare
- 1 Singapore 100.0% compare
- 1 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 100.0% compare
- 1 Saint Martin (French part) 100.0% compare
- 3 Channel Islands 32.6% compare
More climate change data for European Union
- Population growth 0.2% (2025)
- Population, total 451.13 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Urban population 339.13 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 17.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 186.14 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 13.7% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 26.6% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 21.1% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 16.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in European Union?
- Urban population in European Union was 75.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in European Union?
- The highest recorded value was 75.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in European Union?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.4% in 1960.
- How does European Union rank for urban population?
- European Union ranks 2nd out of 4 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in European Union?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this European Union 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.