Urban population in World
World: Urban population was 4.75 billion in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in World, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in World stood at 4.75 billion. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 17.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in World peaked at 4.75 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.03 billion, in 1960.
World ranks 1st of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.03 billion | — |
| 1961 | 1.06 billion | +2.2% |
| 1962 | 1.07 billion | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 1.10 billion | +2.6% |
| 1964 | 1.14 billion | +3.9% |
| 1965 | 1.17 billion | +2.7% |
| 1966 | 1.21 billion | +2.8% |
| 1967 | 1.24 billion | +2.7% |
| 1968 | 1.27 billion | +2.7% |
| 1969 | 1.31 billion | +2.7% |
| 1970 | 1.34 billion | +2.6% |
| 1971 | 1.38 billion | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 1.41 billion | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 1.45 billion | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 1.49 billion | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 1.53 billion | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 1.57 billion | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 1.61 billion | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 1.66 billion | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 1.71 billion | +3.1% |
| 1980 | 1.75 billion | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 1.80 billion | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 1.85 billion | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 1.90 billion | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 1.96 billion | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 2.01 billion | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 2.06 billion | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 2.12 billion | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 2.17 billion | +2.5% |
| 1989 | 2.22 billion | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 2.27 billion | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 2.33 billion | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 2.38 billion | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 2.43 billion | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 2.49 billion | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 2.54 billion | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 2.61 billion | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 2.68 billion | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 2.75 billion | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 2.81 billion | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 2.89 billion | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 2.95 billion | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 3.03 billion | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 3.10 billion | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 3.17 billion | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 3.25 billion | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 3.32 billion | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 3.40 billion | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 3.48 billion | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 3.55 billion | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 3.62 billion | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 3.72 billion | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 3.80 billion | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 3.88 billion | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 3.96 billion | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 4.05 billion | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 4.13 billion | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 4.21 billion | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 4.29 billion | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 4.37 billion | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 4.43 billion | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 4.50 billion | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 4.56 billion | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 4.62 billion | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 4.69 billion | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 4.75 billion | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.16 billion | 1.03 billion | 1.31 billion | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.52 billion | 1.34 billion | 1.71 billion | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.98 billion | 1.75 billion | 2.22 billion | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.53 billion | 2.27 billion | 2.81 billion | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.21 billion | 2.89 billion | 3.55 billion | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.00 billion | 3.62 billion | 4.37 billion | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.59 billion | 4.43 billion | 4.75 billion | 6 |
Countries ranked near World
More climate change data for World
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 135.91 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4.94 million kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1.27 million kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 3.67 million kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 4,791 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 130,918 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1.64 million kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 957,726 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 685,096 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 3,614 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in World?
- Urban population in World was 4.75 billion in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 4.75 billion in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.03 billion in 1960.
- How does World rank for urban population?
- World ranks 1st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.