Population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Population in cities over 1 million — Lower-middle-income countries

Population in cities over 1 million in lower-middle-income countries in 2025 — 574,121,618 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 733.9%.

2025 574M people +2.56% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 574M people2025
Period minimum 68.85M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population in cities over 1 million — Lower-middle-income countries, 1960–20250200M400M600M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 68,845,188 people1962: 74,641,347 people1964: 81,001,224 people1966: 87,883,906 people1968: 95,365,469 people1970: 103,624,952 people1972: 112,992,126 people1974: 123,286,424 people1976: 131,847,523 people1978: 142,576,063 people1980: 154,037,752 people1982: 165,474,529 people1984: 177,163,354 people1986: 189,759,418 people1988: 203,038,951 people1990: 217,135,584 people1992: 231,514,950 people1994: 246,071,161 people1996: 261,321,923 people1998: 277,199,432 people2000: 293,947,158 people2002: 310,398,941 people2004: 327,059,678 people2006: 344,934,886 people2008: 363,953,004 people2010: 384,380,966 people2012: 405,999,289 people2014: 429,001,342 people2016: 453,268,205 people2018: 479,251,449 people2020: 504,957,533 people2022: 531,885,408 people2024: 559,808,102 people2025: 574,121,618 people
Change over the period: +505M (+733.93%) Average annual rate: 3.32 %

Comparison, 2025

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

Lower-middle-income countries 574M people
World computed 2.01B people
Population in cities over 1 million — Lower-middle-income countries, by year Lower-middle-income countries All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 574M +14.31M +2.56%
2024 560M +14.08M +2.58%
2023 546M +13.84M +2.6%
2022 532M +13.6M +2.62%
2021 518M +13.33M +2.64%
2020 505M +13.02M +2.65%
2019 492M +12.69M +2.65%
2018 479M +13.22M +2.84%
2017 466M +12.77M +2.82%
2016 453M +12.34M +2.8%
2015 441M +11.93M +2.78%
2014 429M +11.69M +2.8%
2013 417M +11.31M +2.79%
2012 406M +10.97M +2.78%
2011 395M +10.65M +2.77%
2010 384M +10.38M +2.77%
2009 374M +10.05M +2.76%
2008 364M +9.71M +2.74%
2007 354M +9.3M +2.7%
2006 345M +9.1M +2.71%
2005 336M +8.78M +2.68%
2004 327M +8.48M +2.66%
2003 319M +8.18M +2.64%
2002 310M +8.01M +2.65%
2001 302M +8.44M +2.87%
2000 294M +8.52M +2.99%
1999 285M +8.22M +2.97%
1998 277M +8.05M +2.99%
1997 269M +7.82M +2.99%
1996 261M +7.66M +3.02%
1995 254M +7.59M +3.08%
1994 246M +7.42M +3.11%
1993 239M +7.14M +3.08%
1992 232M +7.08M +3.16%
1991 224M +7.3M +3.36%
1990 217M +7.23M +3.45%
1989 210M +6.87M +3.38%
1988 203M +6.75M +3.44%
1987 196M +6.53M +3.44%
1986 190M +6.44M +3.51%
1985 183M +6.15M +3.47%
1984 177M +5.91M +3.45%
1983 171M +5.78M +3.49%
1982 165M +5.6M +3.5%
1981 160M +5.84M +3.79%
1980 154M +5.86M +3.95%
1979 148M +5.61M +3.93%
1978 143M +5.47M +3.99%
1977 137M +5.26M +3.99%
1976 132M +5.11M +4.03%
1975 127M +3.45M +2.8%
1974 123M +5.26M +4.46%
1973 118M +5.03M +4.45%
1972 113M +4.83M +4.46%
1971 108M +4.54M +4.38%
1970 104M +4.23M +4.25%
1969 99.4M +4.03M +4.23%
1968 95.37M +3.84M +4.19%
1967 91.53M +3.64M +4.15%
1966 87.88M +3.52M +4.17%
1965 84.36M +3.36M +4.15%
1964 81M +3.24M +4.16%
1963 77.76M +3.12M +4.18%
1962 74.64M +2.99M +4.17%
1961 71.65M +2.81M +4.08%
1960 68.85M

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.