Population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Population in cities over 1 million — Low-income countries

Population in cities over 1 million in low-income countries in 2025 — 94,174,654 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 1,565.8%.

2025 94.17M people +3.97% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 94.17M people2025
Period minimum 5.65M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population in cities over 1 million — Low-income countries, 1960–2025025M50M75M100M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 5,653,252 people1962: 6,308,984 people1964: 7,043,327 people1966: 7,891,210 people1968: 8,877,121 people1970: 10,006,086 people1972: 11,189,520 people1974: 12,536,231 people1976: 14,029,436 people1978: 15,659,144 people1980: 17,395,751 people1982: 19,138,215 people1984: 21,146,570 people1986: 23,355,798 people1988: 25,740,244 people1990: 28,371,289 people1992: 30,858,139 people1994: 33,042,038 people1996: 35,694,463 people1998: 38,155,470 people2000: 40,892,573 people2002: 44,072,426 people2004: 47,502,503 people2006: 50,624,774 people2008: 53,691,586 people2010: 57,138,565 people2012: 59,050,850 people2014: 62,234,317 people2016: 67,796,288 people2018: 72,793,001 people2020: 78,063,745 people2022: 83,946,955 people2024: 90,581,863 people2025: 94,174,654 people
Change over the period: +88.52M (+1,565.85%) Average annual rate: 4.42 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Low-income countries

Low-income countries 94.17M people
World computed 2.01B people
Population in cities over 1 million — Low-income countries, by year Low-income countries All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 94.17M +3.59M +3.97%
2024 90.58M +3.41M +3.92%
2023 87.17M +3.22M +3.84%
2022 83.95M +3.03M +3.74%
2021 80.92M +2.85M +3.66%
2020 78.06M +2.7M +3.58%
2019 75.36M +2.57M +3.53%
2018 72.79M +2.49M +3.55%
2017 70.3M +2.5M +3.69%
2016 67.8M +2.95M +4.55%
2015 64.85M +2.61M +4.2%
2014 62.23M +1.71M +2.83%
2013 60.52M +1.47M +2.49%
2012 59.05M +1.16M +2%
2011 57.89M +754,271 +1.32%
2010 57.14M +1.44M +2.58%
2009 55.7M +2.01M +3.74%
2008 53.69M +1.84M +3.55%
2007 51.85M +1.23M +2.42%
2006 50.62M +1.59M +3.25%
2005 49.03M +1.53M +3.22%
2004 47.5M +1.74M +3.8%
2003 45.76M +1.69M +3.83%
2002 44.07M +1.64M +3.86%
2001 42.43M +1.54M +3.77%
2000 40.89M +1.47M +3.74%
1999 39.42M +1.26M +3.31%
1998 38.16M +1.24M +3.36%
1997 36.92M +1.22M +3.42%
1996 35.69M +1.59M +4.65%
1995 34.11M +1.07M +3.23%
1994 33.04M +1.06M +3.32%
1993 31.98M +1.12M +3.64%
1992 30.86M +1.04M +3.5%
1991 29.81M +1.44M +5.09%
1990 28.37M +1.36M +5.02%
1989 27.02M +1.27M +4.95%
1988 25.74M +1.21M +4.94%
1987 24.53M +1.17M +5.02%
1986 23.36M +1.13M +5.08%
1985 22.23M +1.08M +5.11%
1984 21.15M +1.05M +5.21%
1983 20.1M +960,471 +5.02%
1982 19.14M +878,697 +4.81%
1981 18.26M +863,767 +4.97%
1980 17.4M +879,917 +5.33%
1979 16.52M +856,690 +5.47%
1978 15.66M +829,638 +5.59%
1977 14.83M +800,070 +5.7%
1976 14.03M +763,940 +5.76%
1975 13.27M +729,265 +5.82%
1974 12.54M +693,163 +5.85%
1973 11.84M +653,548 +5.84%
1972 11.19M +607,456 +5.74%
1971 10.58M +575,978 +5.76%
1970 10.01M +573,794 +6.08%
1969 9.43M +555,171 +6.25%
1968 8.88M +513,235 +6.14%
1967 8.36M +472,676 +5.99%
1966 7.89M +438,582 +5.88%
1965 7.45M +409,301 +5.81%
1964 7.04M +382,174 +5.74%
1963 6.66M +352,169 +5.58%
1962 6.31M +340,256 +5.7%
1961 5.97M +315,476 +5.58%
1960 5.65M

About the indicator

The population of urban agglomerations with more than one million residents. The unit of count is the agglomeration, not the city within its administrative boundaries, and that is essential: along administrative lines many of the largest concentrations of people break up into dozens of municipalities. The indicator measures not urbanization as such but its concentration in large centers — a country can be highly urbanized without a single million-plus city.

Important: The table covers about 120 territories — the rest have no agglomerations of this size, and that is a zero, not a gap. Aggregates for groups of countries are therefore calculated at a lowered coverage threshold.

Source: World Population Prospects (UN), license CC BY 3.0 IGO.