Urban population in Nauru
Nauru: Urban population was 12,025 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Nauru, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Nauru is 12,025, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Nauru peaked at 12,025 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4,607, in 1960.
Nauru ranks 216th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Nauru, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4,607 | — |
| 1961 | 4,774 | +3.6% |
| 1962 | 4,979 | +4.3% |
| 1963 | 5,226 | +5.0% |
| 1964 | 5,515 | +5.5% |
| 1965 | 5,832 | +5.7% |
| 1966 | 6,043 | +3.6% |
| 1967 | 6,135 | +1.5% |
| 1968 | 6,328 | +3.1% |
| 1969 | 6,581 | +4.0% |
| 1970 | 6,710 | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 6,762 | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 6,812 | +0.7% |
| 1973 | 6,866 | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 6,923 | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 6,987 | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 7,064 | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 7,163 | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 7,298 | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 7,468 | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 7,649 | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 7,839 | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 8,040 | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 8,216 | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 8,377 | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 8,551 | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 8,742 | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 8,946 | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 9,165 | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 9,390 | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 9,622 | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 9,850 | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 10,021 | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 10,102 | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 10,137 | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 10,165 | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 10,183 | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 10,197 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 10,198 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 10,187 | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 10,168 | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 10,130 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 10,082 | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 10,059 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 10,060 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10,049 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 10,034 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 10,020 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 10,009 | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 10,016 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 10,043 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 10,098 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 10,267 | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 10,517 | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 10,742 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 10,954 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 11,150 | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 11,324 | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 11,477 | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 11,587 | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 11,643 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 11,709 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 11,801 | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 11,875 | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 11,947 | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 12,025 | +0.7% |
Nauru compared with similar countries
- Nauru's 12,025 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.24 million, 1% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Nauru's 12,025 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 685,900, 2% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5,602 | 4,607 | 6,581 | 10 |
| 1970s | 7,005 | 6,710 | 7,468 | 10 |
| 1980s | 8,492 | 7,649 | 9,390 | 10 |
| 1990s | 10,066 | 9,622 | 10,198 | 10 |
| 2000s | 10,063 | 10,009 | 10,168 | 10 |
| 2010s | 10,816 | 10,043 | 11,587 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11,833 | 11,643 | 12,025 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nauru
- 213 Faroe Islands 21,764 compare
- 214 Saint Kitts and Nevis 14,968 compare
- 215 Palau 14,004 compare
- 217 Tuvalu 6,212 compare
- 218 Liechtenstein 6,002 compare
More climate change data for Nauru
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 0 kg (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.3975 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2.2 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.0015 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.0787 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0 kt (2023)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0 kt (2023)
- Synthetic Fertilizers — Emissions (CO2eq) 0 kt (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Nauru?
- Urban population in Nauru was 12,025 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Nauru?
- The highest recorded value was 12,025 in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Nauru?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,607 in 1960.
- How does Nauru rank for urban population?
- Nauru ranks 216th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Nauru?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nauru 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.