Urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income): Urban population was 52.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) is 52.9%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) peaked at 52.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 51.7%, in 2020.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 28th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 28.7% | — |
| 1961 | 29.3% | +2.0% |
| 1962 | 29.9% | +2.1% |
| 1963 | 30.5% | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 31.1% | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 31.6% | +1.7% |
| 1966 | 32.1% | +1.5% |
| 1967 | 32.7% | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 33.2% | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 33.7% | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 34.2% | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 34.8% | +1.5% |
| 1972 | 35.3% | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 35.8% | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 36.3% | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 36.9% | +1.4% |
| 1976 | 37.3% | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 37.8% | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 38.3% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 38.8% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 39.3% | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 40.0% | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 40.5% | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 41.0% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 41.5% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 41.9% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 42.3% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 42.7% | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 43.1% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 43.4% | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 43.8% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 44.1% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 44.4% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 44.6% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 44.8% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 45.0% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 45.2% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 45.5% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 45.8% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 46.0% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 46.3% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 46.6% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 46.8% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 47.0% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 47.3% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 47.5% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 47.8% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 48.0% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 48.2% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 48.4% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 48.7% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 49.0% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 49.5% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 50.0% | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 50.4% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 50.6% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 50.8% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 51.0% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 51.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 51.5% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 51.7% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 51.9% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 52.2% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 52.4% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 52.6% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 52.9% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 31.3% | 28.7% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 36.6% | 34.2% | 38.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 41.6% | 39.3% | 43.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 44.9% | 43.8% | 46.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.4% | 46.3% | 48.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.3% | 48.7% | 51.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.3% | 51.7% | 52.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
More climate change data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)
- Urban population growth 2.1% (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 2.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.5286 units per person (2025)
- Urban population 398.54 million (2025)
- Population, total 753.90 million (2025)
- Population growth 1.6% (2025)
- Urban population, per square kilometre 38 units per square kilometre (2023)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) was 52.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 52.9% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.7% in 2020.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) rank for urban population?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) ranks 28th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 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.