Population density in OECD members
OECD members: Population density was 39.29 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising
Population density in OECD members, 1961–2023
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
In 2023, population density in OECD members stood at 39.29 people per sq. km of land area. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
The figure is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in OECD members peaked at 39.29 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 23.35 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
OECD members ranks 34th of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Population density in OECD members, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 23.35 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 23.67 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 1963 | 24 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 24.32 people per sq. km of land area | +1.4% |
| 1965 | 24.64 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 24.95 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 25.25 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1968 | 25.54 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 25.84 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 26.13 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 26.47 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 26.78 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 27.08 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 27.37 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 27.66 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 27.92 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 28.19 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 28.46 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 28.73 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 29 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 29.26 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 29.51 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 29.76 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 29.99 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 30.23 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 30.47 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 30.72 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 30.97 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 31.23 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1990 | 31.51 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 31.82 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 31.95 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 32.12 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 32.39 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 32.65 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 32.91 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 33.16 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 33.41 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 33.66 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 33.86 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 34.11 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 34.37 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 34.62 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 34.87 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 35.11 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 35.37 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 35.62 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 35.92 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 36.18 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 36.43 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 36.62 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 36.85 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 37.06 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 37.29 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 37.52 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 37.75 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 37.98 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 38.2 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 38.43 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 38.57 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 38.84 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 39.03 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 39.29 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24.62 people per sq. km of land area | 23.35 people per sq. km of land area | 25.84 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 27.48 people per sq. km of land area | 26.13 people per sq. km of land area | 28.73 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.11 people per sq. km of land area | 29 people per sq. km of land area | 31.23 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.56 people per sq. km of land area | 31.51 people per sq. km of land area | 33.66 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 35 people per sq. km of land area | 33.86 people per sq. km of land area | 36.18 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.41 people per sq. km of land area | 36.43 people per sq. km of land area | 38.43 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.93 people per sq. km of land area | 38.57 people per sq. km of land area | 39.29 people per sq. km of land area | 4 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
- 31 Sri Lanka 356.24 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 32 Curacao 348.32 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 33 Grenada 344.36 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 34 Japan 341.55 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 35 Tuvalu 327.2 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 36 Pakistan 321.07 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 37 Viet Nam 320.18 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for OECD members
- Population in the largest city 18.1% (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 12.02 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 60.6% (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in OECD members?
- Population density in OECD members was 39.29 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 39.29 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.35 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does OECD members rank for population density?
- OECD members ranks 34th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is population density rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this OECD members data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.