Data / Rankings / Urban population share / EU countries

EU countries by share of urban population

Malta had the highest share of urban population of 27 EU countries in 2018, at 94.7%. Romania had the lowest, at 53.1%. The median was 70.5%. Source: the World Bank.

Highest94.7Malta
Lowest53.1Romania
Median70.527 EU countries

All EU countries, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

MaltaMalta: 94.7 %94.7LuxembourgLuxembourg: 92.7 %92.7NetherlandsNetherlands: 92.6 %92.6DenmarkDenmark: 88.1 %88.1SwedenSweden: 87.5 %87.5BelgiumBelgium: 86.9 %86.9GermanyGermany: 81.1 %81.1SpainSpain: 79.6 %79.6FranceFrance: 78.7 %78.7GreeceGreece: 78 %78BulgariaBulgaria: 73.6 %73.6CzechiaCzechia: 72.8 %72.8FinlandFinland: 72.3 %72.3HungaryHungary: 70.5 %70.5ItalyItaly: 69.5 %69.5EstoniaEstonia: 69.3 %69.3AustriaAustria: 68.1 %68.1LatviaLatvia: 68 %68LithuaniaLithuania: 67.1 %67.1CyprusCyprus: 66.8 %66.8IrelandIreland: 63.1 %63.1PortugalPortugal: 61.1 %61.1PolandPoland: 60.1 %60.1CroatiaCroatia: 56.1 %56.1SloveniaSlovenia: 55.2 %55.2SlovakiaSlovakia: 53.5 %53.5RomaniaRomania: 53.1 %53.1
%. Source: World Bank. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Malta94.7+0.2 pts
2Luxembourg92.7+0.6 pts
3Netherlands92.6+1.5 pts
4Denmark88.1+0.1 pts
5Sweden87.5+0.2 pts
6Belgium86.9+0.2 pts
7Germany81.1+0.2 pts
8Spain79.6+0.1 pts
9France78.70 pts
10Greece78+0.2 pts
11Bulgaria73.6+0.2 pts
12Czechia72.8-0.1 pts
13Finland72.3+0.4 pts
14Hungary70.50 pts
15Italy69.5-0 pts
16Estonia69.3+0.3 pts
17Austria68.1+0.2 pts
18Latvia680 pts
19Lithuania67.10 pts
20Cyprus66.8-0.1 pts
21Ireland63.1+0.2 pts
22Portugal61.1-0 pts
23Poland60.1-0.1 pts
24Croatia56.1+0.2 pts
25Slovenia55.2-0.1 pts
26Slovakia53.5-0.1 pts
27Romania53.1-0.2 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 EU 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 EU countries by share of urban population using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"urban_population_share","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=urban_population_share&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10

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

Questions

Which EU country has the highest share of urban population?

Malta, with 94.7% in 2018, according to the World Bank.

Which EU country has the lowest share of urban population?

Romania, with 53.1% in 2018.

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

EU countries: more rankings