Urban population in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Urban population was 83.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 83.3% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 83.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 76.9%, in 1971.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 50th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 78.6% | — |
| 1961 | 78.4% | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 78.2% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 78.0% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 77.8% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 77.6% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 77.4% | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 77.2% | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 77.1% | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 77.0% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 76.9% | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 76.9% | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 77.0% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 77.1% | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 77.3% | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 77.5% | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 77.8% | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 78.1% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 78.3% | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 78.5% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 78.6% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 78.6% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 78.6% | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 78.5% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 78.5% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 78.4% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 78.3% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 78.3% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 78.2% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 78.1% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 78.1% | -0.0% |
| 1991 | 78.1% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 78.2% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 78.3% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 78.4% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 78.7% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 78.9% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 79.1% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 79.4% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 79.6% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 79.8% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 80.0% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 80.1% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 80.2% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 80.3% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 80.4% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 80.5% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 80.6% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 80.8% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 80.9% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 81.0% | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 81.1% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 81.3% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 81.5% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 81.6% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 81.8% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 82.0% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 82.2% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 82.4% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 82.7% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 82.9% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 83.0% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 83.1% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 83.2% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 83.2% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 83.3% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 77.7% | 77.0% | 78.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 77.5% | 76.9% | 78.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 78.4% | 78.1% | 78.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.7% | 78.1% | 79.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.4% | 79.8% | 80.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 81.8% | 81.0% | 82.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.1% | 82.9% | 83.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More climate change data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.7% (2100)
- Urban population 57.90 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Population, total 69.49 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals 370.74 (2024)
- Temperature change with respect to a baseline climatology 1.49 (2024)
- Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use 4.53 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions including land-use change 2.9% (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions including land-use change 79.77 billion tonnes (2024)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Urban population in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 83.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 83.3% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.9% in 1971.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for urban population?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 50th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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.