Population in the largest city in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Population in the largest city was 42.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
42.2%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
34th
of 153 countries
All-time high
42.2%
in 2025
All-time low
19.2%
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in Bangladesh, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2025, population in the largest city in Bangladesh stood at 42.2%. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 12.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Bangladesh peaked at 42.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 19.2%, in 1960.
Bangladesh ranks 34th of 153 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 19.2% | — |
| 1961 | 19.3% | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 20.1% | +4.0% |
| 1963 | 20.9% | +4.0% |
| 1964 | 21.7% | +4.0% |
| 1965 | 22.6% | +3.9% |
| 1966 | 23.5% | +3.8% |
| 1967 | 24.3% | +3.7% |
| 1968 | 25.2% | +3.5% |
| 1969 | 26.0% | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 26.9% | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 28.1% | +4.2% |
| 1972 | 29.1% | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 29.9% | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 30.3% | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 29.6% | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 28.5% | -3.8% |
| 1977 | 27.3% | -4.2% |
| 1978 | 26.3% | -3.7% |
| 1979 | 25.6% | -2.6% |
| 1980 | 25.3% | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 25.3% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 25.4% | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 25.6% | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 25.9% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 26.4% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 26.9% | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 27.5% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 28.2% | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 29.0% | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 29.9% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 30.5% | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 30.7% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 30.9% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 31.1% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 31.4% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 31.7% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 32.0% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 32.2% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 32.5% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 32.8% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 33.0% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 33.1% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 33.2% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 33.3% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 33.4% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 33.6% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 33.9% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 34.2% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 34.5% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 34.9% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 35.4% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 35.8% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 36.3% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 36.8% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 37.4% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 38.0% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 38.6% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 39.2% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 39.9% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 40.6% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 41.3% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 41.9% | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 42.1% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 42.2% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 42.2% | +0.0% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 42.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 31.8%, 1.3× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 22.3% | 19.2% | 26.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 28.2% | 25.6% | 30.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.5% | 25.3% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.3% | 29.9% | 32.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.5% | 32.8% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.2% | 34.9% | 39.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.7% | 40.6% | 42.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 31 Lebanon 44.7% compare
- 32 Dominican Republic 43.7% compare
- 33 Afghanistan 42.9% compare
- 35 Azerbaijan 41.5% compare
- 36 Central African Republic 41.4% compare
- 37 Chile 39.5% compare
More urban development data for Bangladesh
- Population density 1,319 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 69.25 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.1725 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 30.31 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 2.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 219.95 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 24.65 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 7.6 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 85.94 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Bangladesh?
- Population in the largest city in Bangladesh was 42.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 42.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.2% in 1960.
- How does Bangladesh rank for population in the largest city?
- Bangladesh ranks 34th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.