Population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Population in cities over 1 million — Middle East & North Africa

Population in cities over 1 million in Middle East & North Africa in 2025 — 129,939,597 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 664%.

2025 130M people +1.87% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 130M people2025
Period minimum 17.01M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population in cities over 1 million — Middle East & North Africa, 1960–2025050M100M150M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 17,008,549 people1962: 18,768,983 people1964: 20,793,038 people1966: 23,033,446 people1968: 25,137,113 people1970: 27,479,780 people1972: 30,074,221 people1974: 32,935,755 people1976: 35,844,044 people1978: 38,625,233 people1980: 41,541,034 people1982: 44,628,607 people1984: 47,775,544 people1986: 51,250,718 people1988: 54,673,869 people1990: 58,234,491 people1992: 62,009,296 people1994: 65,590,149 people1996: 69,081,470 people1998: 72,450,622 people2000: 75,960,270 people2002: 79,728,269 people2004: 83,248,531 people2006: 86,972,952 people2008: 91,264,673 people2010: 96,006,202 people2012: 98,556,410 people2014: 102,321,403 people2016: 108,449,095 people2018: 113,919,641 people2020: 118,369,327 people2022: 122,906,578 people2024: 127,558,343 people2025: 129,939,597 people
Change over the period: +113M (+663.97%) Average annual rate: 3.18 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Middle East & North Africa

Middle East & North Africa 130M people
World computed 2.01B people
Population in cities over 1 million — Middle East & North Africa, by year Middle East & North Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 130M +2.38M +1.87%
2024 128M +2.35M +1.87%
2023 125M +2.31M +1.88%
2022 123M +2.28M +1.89%
2021 121M +2.26M +1.91%
2020 118M +2.23M +1.92%
2019 116M +2.22M +1.94%
2018 114M +2.78M +2.5%
2017 111M +2.69M +2.48%
2016 108M +3.23M +3.07%
2015 105M +2.9M +2.83%
2014 102M +2.01M +2%
2013 100M +1.76M +1.78%
2012 98.56M +1.47M +1.51%
2011 97.09M +1.08M +1.13%
2010 96.01M +2.36M +2.52%
2009 93.65M +2.38M +2.61%
2008 91.26M +2.31M +2.6%
2007 88.96M +1.98M +2.28%
2006 86.97M +1.92M +2.26%
2005 85.05M +1.8M +2.16%
2004 83.25M +1.63M +2%
2003 81.62M +1.89M +2.37%
2002 79.73M +1.94M +2.49%
2001 77.79M +1.83M +2.41%
2000 75.96M +1.78M +2.4%
1999 74.18M +1.73M +2.39%
1998 72.45M +1.7M +2.4%
1997 70.76M +1.67M +2.42%
1996 69.08M +1.76M +2.62%
1995 67.32M +1.73M +2.64%
1994 65.59M +1.78M +2.79%
1993 63.81M +1.8M +2.91%
1992 62.01M +1.92M +3.19%
1991 60.09M +1.86M +3.19%
1990 58.23M +1.83M +3.24%
1989 56.41M +1.73M +3.17%
1988 54.67M +1.74M +3.28%
1987 52.94M +1.69M +3.29%
1986 51.25M +1.78M +3.6%
1985 49.47M +1.69M +3.54%
1984 47.78M +1.61M +3.49%
1983 46.16M +1.54M +3.44%
1982 44.63M +1.56M +3.61%
1981 43.07M +1.53M +3.68%
1980 41.54M +1.49M +3.72%
1979 40.05M +1.43M +3.69%
1978 38.63M +1.37M +3.69%
1977 37.25M +1.41M +3.92%
1976 35.84M +1.42M +4.13%
1975 34.42M +1.49M +4.51%
1974 32.94M +1.45M +4.62%
1973 31.48M +1.41M +4.68%
1972 30.07M +1.33M +4.63%
1971 28.74M +1.26M +4.6%
1970 27.48M +1.2M +4.57%
1969 26.28M +1.14M +4.54%
1968 25.14M +1.08M +4.48%
1967 24.06M +1.03M +4.45%
1966 23.03M +1.12M +5.1%
1965 21.92M +1.12M +5.4%
1964 20.79M +1.05M +5.34%
1963 19.74M +969,586 +5.17%
1962 18.77M +897,553 +5.02%
1961 17.87M +862,881 +5.07%
1960 17.01M

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.