Population in the largest city in World
World: Population in the largest city was 16.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population in the largest city in World, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2025, population in the largest city in World stood at 16.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in World peaked at 18.2% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 2016.
That places World 29th out of 43 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in World, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 17.3% | — |
| 1961 | 17.5% | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 17.8% | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 17.8% | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 17.7% | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 17.8% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 17.8% | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 17.9% | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 17.9% | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 18.0% | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 18.1% | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 18.2% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 18.2% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 18.2% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 18.2% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 18.1% | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 18.1% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 18.1% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 18.1% | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 18.0% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 18.0% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 17.9% | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 17.8% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 17.7% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 17.6% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 17.5% | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 17.4% | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 17.4% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 17.4% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 17.4% | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 17.4% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 17.3% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 17.3% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 17.2% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 17.2% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 17.1% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 17.0% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 16.9% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 16.8% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 16.7% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 16.6% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 16.5% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 16.4% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 16.3% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 16.2% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 16.2% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 16.1% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 16.0% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 16.0% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 16.0% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 16.0% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 15.8% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 15.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 15.8% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 15.8% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 15.7% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 15.7% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 15.7% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 15.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 15.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 15.8% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 15.9% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 15.9% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 16.0% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 16.1% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 16.2% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.7% | 17.3% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 18.1% | 18.0% | 18.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.6% | 17.4% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.1% | 16.7% | 17.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.2% | 16.0% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.8% | 15.7% | 16.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.0% | 15.8% | 16.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near World
More urban development data for World
- Population density 62.14 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 32.87 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 60,317 Hectares (2020)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 91.4% (2017)
- Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen 1.15 billion current US$ (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in World?
- Population in the largest city in World was 16.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 18.2% in 1974.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.7% in 2016.
- How does World rank for population in the largest city?
- World ranks 29th out of 43 groups with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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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CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.