Population in the largest city in Middle income
Middle income: Population in the largest city was 14.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population in the largest city in Middle income, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
Middle income recorded 14.1% for population in the largest city in 2025.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Middle income peaked at 18.0% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 13.7%, in 2017.
That places Middle income 34th out of 43 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Middle income, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 16.7% | — |
| 1961 | 17.0% | +1.8% |
| 1962 | 17.6% | +3.4% |
| 1963 | 17.7% | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 17.4% | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 17.5% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 17.6% | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 17.6% | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 17.7% | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 17.8% | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 17.9% | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 17.9% | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 18.0% | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 18.0% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 18.0% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 17.8% | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 17.8% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 17.7% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 17.6% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 17.4% | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 17.3% | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 17.1% | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 17.0% | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 16.7% | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 16.5% | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 16.3% | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 16.2% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 16.0% | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 15.9% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 15.9% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 15.9% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 15.8% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 15.7% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 15.6% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 15.6% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 15.5% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 15.3% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 15.2% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 15.0% | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 14.9% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 14.7% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 14.6% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 14.5% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 14.4% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 14.3% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 14.2% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 14.1% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 14.1% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 14.0% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 14.0% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 14.0% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 13.8% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 13.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 13.8% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 13.7% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 13.7% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 13.7% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 13.7% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 13.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 13.7% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13.7% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 13.7% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 13.8% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 14.0% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 14.0% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 14.1% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.5% | 16.7% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.8% | 17.4% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.5% | 15.9% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.4% | 14.9% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.3% | 14.0% | 14.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.7% | 13.7% | 14.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.9% | 13.7% | 14.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle income
- 31 Lebanon 44.7% compare
- 32 Dominican Republic 43.7% compare
- 33 Afghanistan 42.9% compare
- 34 Bangladesh 42.2% compare
- 35 Azerbaijan 41.5% compare
- 36 Central African Republic 41.4% compare
- 37 Chile 39.5% compare
More urban development data for Middle income
- Population density 93.64 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 37.76 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 98.1% (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Middle income?
- Population in the largest city in Middle income was 14.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 18.0% in 1973.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.7% in 2017.
- How does Middle income rank for population in the largest city?
- Middle income ranks 34th out of 43 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle income 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.
Download this data
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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.