Population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Population in cities over 1 million — Northern America

Population in cities over 1 million in Northern America in 2025 — 179,105,692 people. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 137.6%.

2025 179M people +0.92% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 179M people2025
Period minimum 75.37M people1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · people

Population in cities over 1 million — Northern America, 1960–202550M100M150M200M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 75,369,008 people1962: 78,602,448 people1964: 81,985,976 people1966: 85,559,244 people1968: 89,308,796 people1970: 93,000,446 people1972: 94,787,233 people1974: 96,521,023 people1976: 98,366,036 people1978: 100,339,500 people1980: 102,464,377 people1982: 104,891,308 people1984: 107,466,562 people1986: 110,162,773 people1988: 113,081,735 people1990: 116,221,973 people1992: 120,016,885 people1994: 123,887,600 people1996: 127,945,777 people1998: 132,200,382 people2000: 136,465,122 people2002: 139,474,917 people2004: 142,622,329 people2006: 145,895,557 people2008: 149,317,907 people2010: 152,880,362 people2012: 156,540,892 people2014: 160,308,767 people2016: 164,247,012 people2018: 168,362,948 people2020: 171,259,707 people2022: 174,288,588 people2024: 177,469,628 people2025: 179,105,692 people
Change over the period: +104M (+137.64%) Average annual rate: 1.34 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Northern America

Northern America 179M people
World computed 2.01B people
Population in cities over 1 million — Northern America, by year Northern America All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 179M +1.64M +0.92%
2024 177M +1.61M +0.91%
2023 176M +1.57M +0.9%
2022 174M +1.53M +0.89%
2021 173M +1.49M +0.87%
2020 171M +1.46M +0.86%
2019 170M +1.44M +0.85%
2018 168M +2.08M +1.25%
2017 166M +2.04M +1.24%
2016 164M +1.99M +1.23%
2015 162M +1.95M +1.21%
2014 160M +1.91M +1.2%
2013 158M +1.86M +1.19%
2012 157M +1.83M +1.18%
2011 155M +1.83M +1.2%
2010 153M +1.8M +1.19%
2009 151M +1.76M +1.18%
2008 149M +1.73M +1.17%
2007 148M +1.69M +1.16%
2006 146M +1.65M +1.15%
2005 144M +1.62M +1.13%
2004 143M +1.59M +1.13%
2003 141M +1.56M +1.12%
2002 139M +1.53M +1.11%
2001 138M +1.48M +1.09%
2000 136M +2.06M +1.53%
1999 134M +2.21M +1.67%
1998 132M +2.15M +1.66%
1997 130M +2.1M +1.64%
1996 128M +2.05M +1.63%
1995 126M +2M +1.62%
1994 124M +1.96M +1.61%
1993 122M +1.91M +1.59%
1992 120M +1.87M +1.59%
1991 118M +1.92M +1.65%
1990 116M +1.63M +1.42%
1989 115M +1.51M +1.33%
1988 113M +1.48M +1.32%
1987 112M +1.44M +1.31%
1986 110M +1.37M +1.26%
1985 109M +1.33M +1.24%
1984 107M +1.3M +1.23%
1983 106M +1.27M +1.21%
1982 105M +1.24M +1.2%
1981 104M +1.18M +1.16%
1980 102M +1.09M +1.08%
1979 101M +1.03M +1.03%
1978 100M +1M +1.01%
1977 99.34M +970,724 +0.99%
1976 98.37M +937,442 +0.96%
1975 97.43M +907,571 +0.94%
1974 96.52M +880,539 +0.92%
1973 95.64M +853,251 +0.9%
1972 94.79M +830,300 +0.88%
1971 93.96M +956,487 +1.03%
1970 93M +1.74M +1.91%
1969 91.26M +1.95M +2.18%
1968 89.31M +1.9M +2.18%
1967 87.41M +1.85M +2.16%
1966 85.56M +1.81M +2.16%
1965 83.75M +1.76M +2.15%
1964 81.99M +1.72M +2.14%
1963 80.27M +1.67M +2.12%
1962 78.6M +1.62M +2.11%
1961 76.98M +1.61M +2.14%
1960 75.37M

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.