Data / Rankings / Urban population share / Countries

Countries by share of urban population

Bahrain had the highest share of urban population of 215 countries in 2017, at 100%. Papua New Guinea had the lowest, at 13.5%. The median was 62.9% and the figure for the World was 55.3%. Source: the World Bank.

Highest100Bahrain
Lowest13.5Papua New Guinea
Median62.9215 countries
World55.3History

Top 40 countries, 2017

CSVChart (SVG)

BahrainBahrain: 100 %100BermudaBermuda: 100 %100Cayman IslandsCayman Islands: 100 %100GibraltarGibraltar: 100 %100Hong KongHong Kong: 100 %100KuwaitKuwait: 100 %100MacaoMacao: 100 %100MonacoMonaco: 100 %100NauruNauru: 100 %100Saint MartinSaint Martin: 100 %100SingaporeSingapore: 100 %100Sint MaartenSint Maarten: 100 %100QatarQatar: 99 %99San MarinoSan Marino: 97.1 %97.1UruguayUruguay: 95.2 %95.2U.S. Virgin IslandsU.S. Virgin Islands: 95 %95MaltaMalta: 94.6 %94.6GuamGuam: 94.1 %94.1Puerto RicoPuerto Rico: 93.9 %93.9IcelandIceland: 93.8 %93.8Turks and Caicos IslandsTurks and Caicos Islands: 92.4 %92.4LuxembourgLuxembourg: 92.1 %92.1ArgentinaArgentina: 91.7 %91.7IsraelIsrael: 91.7 %91.7JapanJapan: 91.5 %91.5Northern Mariana IslandsNorthern Mariana Islands: 91.5 %91.5CuraçaoCuraçao: 91.3 %91.3NetherlandsNetherlands: 91.1 %91.1JordanJordan: 90.9 %90.9LebanonLebanon: 89.1 %89.1VenezuelaVenezuela: 89 %89GabonGabon: 89 %89AndorraAndorra: 88.5 %88.5TürkiyeTürkiye: 88 %88DenmarkDenmark: 88 %88LibyaLibya: 87.8 %87.8ChileChile: 87.8 %87.8SwedenSweden: 87.2 %87.2AustraliaAustralia: 87.1 %87.1BelgiumBelgium: 86.7 %86.7
%. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankCountries2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Bahrain1000 pts
1Bermuda1000 pts
1Cayman Islands1000 pts
1Gibraltar1000 pts
1Hong Kong1000 pts
1Kuwait1000 pts
1Macao1000 pts
1Monaco1000 pts
1Nauru1000 pts
1Saint Martin1000 pts
1Singapore1000 pts
1Sint Maarten1000 pts
13Qatar990 pts
14San Marino97.10 pts
15Uruguay95.2+0.1 pts
16U.S. Virgin Islands950 pts
17Malta94.6+0.1 pts
18Guam94.10 pts
19Puerto Rico93.90 pts
20Iceland93.8-0 pts
21Turks and Caicos Islands92.4+0.3 pts
22Luxembourg92.1+0.6 pts
23Argentina91.7+0.1 pts
24Israel91.7-0 pts
25Japan91.5+0.1 pts
26Northern Mariana Islands91.5+0.1 pts
27Curaçao91.30 pts
28Netherlands91.1+0.5 pts
29Jordan90.9+0.3 pts
30Lebanon89.1+0.2 pts
31Venezuela890 pts
32Gabon89+0.5 pts
33Andorra88.5-0 pts
34Türkiye88-0.1 pts
35Denmark88+0.3 pts
36Libya87.80 pts
37Chile87.8+0.2 pts
38Sweden87.2+0.2 pts
39Australia87.1+0.1 pts
40Belgium86.7+0.2 pts
41Greenland86.4+0.2 pts
42Brazil86.2+0.2 pts
43Palestine85.40 pts
44United Arab Emirates84.7+0.2 pts
45New Zealand84.2-0.5 pts
46American Samoa83.9-0.4 pts
47Saudi Arabia83.3+0.2 pts
48United Kingdom82.2+0.2 pts
49Peru82.2+0.8 pts
50Bahamas82.1-0.1 pts
51Norway82+0.3 pts
52South Korea81.5-0.1 pts
53Canada81.4+0.1 pts
54Germany81+0.1 pts
55United States80.4-0.1 pts
56Palau79.8-0.3 pts
57Spain79.5+0.1 pts
58France78.60 pts
59Oman78.3+0.6 pts
60Switzerland77.9+1.2 pts
61Greece77.9+0.2 pts
62Mexico77.7+0.3 pts
63Colombia77.20 pts
64Belarus77+0.2 pts
65Cuba770 pts
66Marshall Islands76.2+0.4 pts
67Costa Rica76.1+0.5 pts
68Brunei74.8-0 pts
69Syria74.5-0.6 pts
70Russia74.5+0.1 pts
71Iran74.4+0.5 pts
72Malaysia74.2+0.4 pts
73Dominican Republic73.9-0.1 pts
74Bulgaria73.4+0.2 pts
75Czechia72.9-0.1 pts
76Finland72+0.3 pts
77Algeria71.3+0.6 pts
78Djibouti71.3+0.2 pts
79El Salvador71.1+0.7 pts
80Dominica70.6+0.4 pts
81Hungary70.5-0 pts
82Iraq69.9-0 pts
83Equatorial Guinea69.6+0.3 pts
84Italy69.5-0.1 pts
85Ukraine69.3+0.1 pts
86Cape Verde69.2+1.2 pts
87Bolivia69.1+0.3 pts
88Estonia69+0.3 pts
89Tunisia68.3+0.2 pts
90Latvia680 pts
91Mongolia67.9-0.1 pts
92Austria67.9+0.2 pts
93São Tomé and Príncipe67.7+0.1 pts
94Lithuania67.1-0.1 pts
95New Caledonia67+0.1 pts
96Cyprus66.9-0.1 pts
97Suriname66.1-0 pts
98Botswana65.9+0.3 pts
99Panama65.7+0.1 pts
100Nepal65.6+0.3 pts
101Angola65.1+0.8 pts
102Montenegro65+0.1 pts
103Armenia64.7+0.1 pts
104Republic of the Congo63.4+0.1 pts
105South Africa63.3+0.1 pts
106Ecuador630 pts
107Paraguay63+0.9 pts
108Ireland62.9+0.2 pts
109Aruba62.8-0.2 pts
110North Korea61.8+0.3 pts
111French Polynesia61.80 pts
112Morocco61.3+0.3 pts
113Portugal61.1-0 pts
114Serbia60.6+0.2 pts
115Gambia60.5+0.6 pts
116China60.2+1.4 pts
117Poland60.1-0.1 pts
118Tuvalu60+0.5 pts
119North Macedonia59.7+0.4 pts
120Barbados59.30 pts
121Nicaragua58.2+0.2 pts
122Georgia58+0.3 pts
123Kazakhstan57.5+0.7 pts
124Nigeria57.3+0.8 pts
125Azerbaijan56.4+0.7 pts
126Albania56+0.4 pts
127Jamaica55.9+0.4 pts
128Croatia55.9+0.2 pts
129Fiji55.7+0.6 pts
130Honduras55.4+0.5 pts
131Slovenia55.2+1.6 pts
132Ghana54.7+0.5 pts
133Indonesia54.5+0.6 pts
134Mauritania54.2+1.3 pts
135Trinidad and Tobago53.90 pts
136Guatemala53.8+0.1 pts
137Slovakia53.6-0.1 pts
138Romania53.4-0.2 pts
139Cameroon53.3+0.3 pts
140Kiribati53+1.2 pts
141Philippines52.6+0.7 pts
142Isle of Man52.10 pts
143Liberia51.8+0.5 pts
144British Virgin Islands50.9+0.7 pts
145Haiti50.7+0.6 pts
146Uzbekistan50.70 pts
147Côte d’Ivoire50.4+0.5 pts
148Thailand49.2+1.4 pts
149Bosnia and Herzegovina48.5+0.5 pts
150Somalia48.4+2.4 pts
151Senegal47.9+0.9 pts
152Benin47.3+0.7 pts
153Turkmenistan470 pts
154Saint Vincent and the Grenadines46.9+0.1 pts
155Namibia46.8+0.6 pts
156Seychelles43.5+0.2 pts
157Belize43.4-0.3 pts
158Guinea-Bissau43+0.4 pts
159Zambia42.7+0.4 pts
160Egypt42.4-0.1 pts
161Democratic Republic of the Congo42.1+0.4 pts
162Sierra Leone41.7+0.5 pts
163Central African Republic40.8+0.4 pts
164Togo40.6+0.4 pts
165Moldova40+0.2 pts
166Mauritius39.4-0.1 pts
167Maldives39.3+0.4 pts
168Faroe Islands38.30 pts
169Bhutan37.9+0.6 pts
170Lesotho36.5+1 pts
171Pakistan36.4+0.3 pts
172Grenada360 pts
173Guinea35.6+0.3 pts
174Eritrea35.4-0.1 pts
175Cambodia35+2.5 pts
176Kyrgyzstan35-0.1 pts
177Zimbabwe34.7+0.6 pts
178Laos34.5+0.7 pts
179Sudan34.3+0.1 pts
180Yemen33.6+0.6 pts
181Vietnam33.4+0.5 pts
182India33.2+0.3 pts
183Mozambique32.6+0.2 pts
184Tanzania32.3+0.5 pts
185Kenya31.5-0.1 pts
186Saint Kitts and Nevis31.30 pts
187Comoros31.1+0.4 pts
188Bangladesh30.2+0.3 pts
189Myanmar29.9+0.1 pts
190Madagascar29.7+0.2 pts
191Timor-Leste29.4-0.1 pts
192Mali27.1+0.6 pts
193Uganda26.4+0.7 pts
194Guyana26.40 pts
195Tajikistan26.3-0.1 pts
196Burkina Faso26+0.2 pts
197Solomon Islands25.4+0.9 pts
198Antigua and Barbuda24.9-0.1 pts
199Afghanistan24.8+0.2 pts
200Vanuatu24.8-0.1 pts
201Eswatini23.8+0.3 pts
202Chad23.5+0.3 pts
203Tonga23-0.2 pts
204Micronesia22.30 pts
205Saint Lucia21.8+1 pts
206Ethiopia20.3+0.4 pts
207Rwanda20.2+1.1 pts
208South Sudan19.3+0.3 pts
209Sri Lanka19.2+0.2 pts
210Samoa19-0.2 pts
211Burundi16.6+1 pts
212Niger16.5+0.1 pts
213Malawi16+0.1 pts
214Liechtenstein14.50 pts
215Papua New Guinea13.5+0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People living in urban areas, as each national statistical office defines them, as a percentage of total population. World Bank series based on the UN World Urbanization Prospects.

Countries define urban areas differently, so shares are only roughly comparable between countries.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators. Urban population, % of total population (SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Countries by share of urban population using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"urban_population_share","level":"country","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=urban_population_share&level=country&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which country has the highest share of urban population?

Bahrain, with 100% in 2017, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest share of urban population?

Papua New Guinea, with 13.5% in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Urban population, % of total population (SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Urban population share: other rankings

Countries: more rankings