Urban population in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Urban population was 3.61 billion in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Low & middle income, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Low & middle income is 3.61 billion, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 21.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Low & middle income peaked at 3.61 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 476.81 million, in 1960.
That places Low & middle income 3rd out of 49 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 545.92 million | 476.81 million | 637.00 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 784.13 million | 660.22 million | 929.38 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.16 billion | 965.29 million | 1.36 billion | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.62 billion | 1.40 billion | 1.87 billion | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.22 billion | 1.93 billion | 2.51 billion | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.92 billion | 2.58 billion | 3.26 billion | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.47 billion | 3.32 billion | 3.61 billion | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More climate change data for Low & middle income
- Population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Population, total 6.79 billion (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.6% (2025)
- Urban population 53.1% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 22.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 2,902 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 10.4% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 16.4% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 12.3% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 6.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Low & middle income?
- Urban population in Low & middle income was 3.61 billion in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 3.61 billion in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 476.81 million in 1960.
- How does Low & middle income rank for urban population?
- Low & middle income ranks 3rd out of 49 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Low & middle income data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.