Urban population in Small states
Small states: Urban population was 52.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Small states, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Small states is 52.1%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Small states peaked at 52.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 33.8%, in 1960.
That places Small states 28th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Small states, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 33.8% | — |
| 1961 | 34.4% | +1.8% |
| 1962 | 35.1% | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 35.7% | +1.9% |
| 1964 | 36.4% | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 37.1% | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 37.7% | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 38.3% | +1.6% |
| 1968 | 39.0% | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 39.5% | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 40.0% | +1.3% |
| 1971 | 40.5% | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 41.0% | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 41.5% | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 42.2% | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 42.9% | +1.7% |
| 1976 | 43.5% | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 44.0% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 44.5% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 44.9% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 45.2% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 45.5% | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 45.8% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 46.1% | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 46.4% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 46.7% | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 47.0% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 47.3% | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 47.6% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 47.9% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 48.1% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 48.3% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 48.4% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 48.4% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 48.5% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 48.6% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 48.6% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 48.6% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 48.7% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 49.0% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 49.3% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 49.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 49.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 49.4% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 49.5% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 49.5% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 49.6% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 49.7% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 49.8% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 49.9% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 50.0% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 50.0% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 50.1% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 50.2% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 50.3% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 50.4% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 50.6% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 50.7% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 50.9% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 51.1% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 51.2% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 51.3% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 51.5% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 51.7% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 51.9% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 52.1% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 36.7% | 33.8% | 39.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 42.5% | 40.0% | 44.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.6% | 45.2% | 47.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.5% | 48.1% | 49.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.5% | 49.3% | 49.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.4% | 50.0% | 51.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.6% | 51.2% | 52.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Small states
More climate change data for Small states
- Population growth 0.8% (2025)
- Population, total 20.35 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Urban population 10.60 million (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 10.28 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1.2% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 16.5% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 7.5% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 7.2% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 3.16 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Small states?
- Urban population in Small states was 52.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Small states?
- The highest recorded value was 52.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Small states?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.8% in 1960.
- How does Small states rank for urban population?
- Small states ranks 28th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Small states?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Small states 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.