Urban population in Middle income
Middle income: Urban population was 3.34 billion in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Middle income, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Middle income is 3.34 billion, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Middle income peaked at 3.34 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 459.00 million, in 1960.
That places Middle income 4th out of 47 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.
Urban population in Middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 459.00 million | — |
| 1961 | 468.23 million | +2.0% |
| 1962 | 470.07 million | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 484.13 million | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 512.20 million | +5.8% |
| 1965 | 528.62 million | +3.2% |
| 1966 | 547.52 million | +3.6% |
| 1967 | 567.16 million | +3.6% |
| 1968 | 587.58 million | +3.6% |
| 1969 | 608.85 million | +3.6% |
| 1970 | 630.64 million | +3.6% |
| 1971 | 653.22 million | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 676.71 million | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 702.86 million | +3.9% |
| 1974 | 727.78 million | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 755.63 million | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 784.34 million | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 813.61 million | +3.7% |
| 1978 | 846.00 million | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 885.60 million | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 919.86 million | +3.9% |
| 1981 | 957.81 million | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 993.07 million | +3.7% |
| 1983 | 1.04 billion | +4.3% |
| 1984 | 1.08 billion | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 1.12 billion | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 1.16 billion | +3.8% |
| 1987 | 1.21 billion | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 1.25 billion | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 1.29 billion | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 1.33 billion | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 1.37 billion | +3.4% |
| 1992 | 1.41 billion | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 1.46 billion | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 1.50 billion | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 1.54 billion | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 1.60 billion | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 1.65 billion | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 1.71 billion | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 1.77 billion | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 1.83 billion | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 1.88 billion | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 1.94 billion | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 2.00 billion | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 2.06 billion | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 2.12 billion | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 2.18 billion | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 2.25 billion | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 2.31 billion | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 2.37 billion | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 2.43 billion | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 2.51 billion | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 2.57 billion | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 2.64 billion | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 2.71 billion | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 2.78 billion | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 2.85 billion | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 2.92 billion | +2.3% |
| 2018 | 2.98 billion | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 3.05 billion | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 3.10 billion | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 3.16 billion | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 3.20 billion | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 3.24 billion | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 3.29 billion | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 3.34 billion | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 523.33 million | 459.00 million | 608.85 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 747.64 million | 630.64 million | 885.60 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.10 billion | 919.86 million | 1.29 billion | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.53 billion | 1.33 billion | 1.77 billion | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.09 billion | 1.83 billion | 2.37 billion | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.74 billion | 2.43 billion | 3.05 billion | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.22 billion | 3.10 billion | 3.34 billion | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle income
More climate change data for Middle income
- Urban population growth 1.4% (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.8096 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 1.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.5541 units per person (2025)
- Population, total 6.02 billion (2025)
- Population growth 0.8% (2025)
- Urban population, per square kilometre 51.26 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population, total, per square kilometre 93.64 units per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Middle income?
- Urban population in Middle income was 3.34 billion in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 3.34 billion in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 459.00 million in 1960.
- How does Middle income rank for urban population?
- Middle income ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this 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.