Urban population in Upper middle income
Upper middle income: Urban population was 68.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Upper middle income, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Upper middle income is 68.2%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Upper middle income peaked at 68.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 25.6%, in 1963.
That places Upper middle income 11th out of 45 groups 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 Upper middle income, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 26.2% | — |
| 1961 | 26.4% | +0.6% |
| 1962 | 25.6% | -2.8% |
| 1963 | 25.6% | -0.0% |
| 1964 | 26.7% | +4.1% |
| 1965 | 26.8% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 27.0% | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 27.2% | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 27.4% | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 27.6% | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 27.8% | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 28.0% | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 28.2% | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 28.5% | +1.2% |
| 1974 | 28.8% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 29.2% | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 29.6% | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 30.0% | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 30.6% | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 31.5% | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 32.0% | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 32.8% | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 33.3% | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 34.2% | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 35.2% | +3.1% |
| 1985 | 35.9% | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 36.6% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 37.3% | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 37.9% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 38.4% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 38.6% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 39.3% | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 39.9% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 40.4% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 41.0% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 41.6% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 42.6% | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 43.7% | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 44.7% | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 45.8% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 47.0% | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 47.9% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 48.9% | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 49.9% | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 50.8% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 51.7% | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 52.7% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 53.7% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 54.5% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 55.5% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 56.2% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 57.7% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 58.6% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 59.7% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 60.6% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 61.7% | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 62.7% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 63.6% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 64.5% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 65.3% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 65.9% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 66.7% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 67.1% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 67.4% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 67.8% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 68.2% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 26.6% | 25.6% | 27.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 29.2% | 27.8% | 31.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 35.3% | 32.0% | 38.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 41.8% | 38.6% | 45.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 51.3% | 47.0% | 55.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.1% | 56.2% | 65.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.2% | 65.9% | 68.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Upper middle income
- 13 Qatar 99.4% compare
- 14 San Marino 97.2% compare
More climate change data for Upper middle income
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Population, total 3.08 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.9% (2025)
- Urban population 2.10 billion (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 30.0% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1,646 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 8.9% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 16.2% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 12.8% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 8.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Upper middle income?
- Urban population in Upper middle income was 68.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Upper middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 68.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Upper middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.6% in 1963.
- How does Upper middle income rank for urban population?
- Upper middle income ranks 11th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Upper middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Upper middle 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.