Urban population in Tuvalu
Tuvalu: Urban population was 6,212 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Tuvalu, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Tuvalu stood at 6,212.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Tuvalu peaked at 6,516 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 692, in 1960.
That places Tuvalu 217th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Tuvalu, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 692 | — |
| 1961 | 703 | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 714 | +1.6% |
| 1963 | 726 | +1.7% |
| 1964 | 737 | +1.5% |
| 1965 | 751 | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 770 | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 786 | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 799 | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 809 | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 819 | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 826 | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 831 | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 836 | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 887 | +6.1% |
| 1975 | 1,060 | +19.5% |
| 1976 | 1,312 | +23.8% |
| 1977 | 1,603 | +22.2% |
| 1978 | 1,882 | +17.4% |
| 1979 | 2,086 | +10.8% |
| 1980 | 2,222 | +6.5% |
| 1981 | 2,339 | +5.3% |
| 1982 | 2,442 | +4.4% |
| 1983 | 2,538 | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 2,635 | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 2,754 | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 2,896 | +5.2% |
| 1987 | 3,044 | +5.1% |
| 1988 | 3,195 | +5.0% |
| 1989 | 3,346 | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 3,490 | +4.3% |
| 1991 | 3,622 | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 3,734 | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 3,829 | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 3,916 | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 3,996 | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 4,068 | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 4,138 | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 4,205 | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 4,272 | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 4,344 | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 4,418 | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 4,498 | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 4,605 | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 4,751 | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 4,912 | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 5,081 | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 5,261 | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 5,453 | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 5,646 | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 5,843 | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 6,041 | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 6,221 | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 6,340 | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 6,404 | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 6,459 | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 6,501 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 6,516 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 6,511 | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 6,480 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 6,439 | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 6,382 | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 6,326 | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 6,283 | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 6,243 | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 6,212 | -0.5% |
Tuvalu compared with similar countries
- Tuvalu's 6,212 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.10 million, 0% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Tuvalu's 6,212 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 685,900, 1% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 748.7 | 692 | 809 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,214 | 819 | 2,086 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,741 | 2,222 | 3,346 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,927 | 3,490 | 4,272 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,897 | 4,344 | 5,646 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6,332 | 5,843 | 6,516 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6,314 | 6,212 | 6,439 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tuvalu
- 214 Saint Kitts and Nevis 14,968 compare
- 215 Palau 14,004 compare
- 216 Nauru 12,025 compare
- 218 Liechtenstein 6,002 compare
More climate change data for Tuvalu
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1,224 kg (2023)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 14.94 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2.52 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 12.42 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.0095 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.4437 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 Tuvalu?
- Urban population in Tuvalu was 6,212 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Tuvalu?
- The highest recorded value was 6,516 in 2017.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Tuvalu?
- The lowest recorded value was 692 in 1960.
- How does Tuvalu rank for urban population?
- Tuvalu ranks 217th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Tuvalu?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Tuvalu 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.