Share of population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Share of population in cities over 1 million — Latin America & Caribbean

Share of population in cities over 1 million in Latin America & Caribbean in 2025 — 39.68%. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 16.2 pp.

2025 39.68% +0.17 pp vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 39.68%2025
Period minimum 23.47%1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · % of population

Share of population in cities over 1 million — Latin America & Caribbean, 1960–2025202530354019601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 23.47%1962: 24.27%1964: 25.11%1966: 25.98%1968: 26.97%1970: 28.05%1972: 28.87%1974: 29.62%1976: 30.38%1978: 31.21%1980: 32.12%1982: 32.48%1984: 32.75%1986: 33.09%1988: 33.5%1990: 33.96%1992: 34.25%1994: 34.5%1996: 34.83%1998: 35.2%2000: 35.64%2002: 35.85%2004: 36.08%2006: 36.35%2008: 36.67%2010: 36.9%2012: 37.21%2014: 37.55%2016: 37.93%2018: 38.36%2020: 38.69%2022: 39.15%2024: 39.5%2025: 39.68%
Change over the period: +16.2 pp Annual average: 0.25 pp

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Latin America & Caribbean

Latin America & Caribbean 39.68%
World 25.29%
Share of population in cities over 1 million — Latin America & Caribbean, by year Latin America & Caribbean All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2025 39.68 +0.17 pp
2024 39.5 +0.17 pp
2023 39.33 +0.18 pp
2022 39.15 +0.22 pp
2021 38.93 +0.24 pp
2020 38.69 +0.19 pp
2019 38.5 +0.15 pp
2018 38.36 +0.23 pp
2017 38.13 +0.2 pp
2016 37.93 +0.18 pp
2015 37.75 +0.19 pp
2014 37.55 +0.18 pp
2013 37.37 +0.16 pp
2012 37.21 +0.15 pp
2011 37.05 +0.15 pp
2010 36.9 +0.07 pp
2009 36.83 +0.16 pp
2008 36.67 +0.16 pp
2007 36.51 +0.15 pp
2006 36.35 +0.14 pp
2005 36.21 +0.13 pp
2004 36.08 +0.12 pp
2003 35.96 +0.1 pp
2002 35.85 +0.11 pp
2001 35.75 +0.11 pp
2000 35.64 +0.22 pp
1999 35.42 +0.21 pp
1998 35.2 +0.19 pp
1997 35.01 +0.18 pp
1996 34.83 +0.17 pp
1995 34.66 +0.16 pp
1994 34.5 +0.14 pp
1993 34.37 +0.12 pp
1992 34.25 +0.12 pp
1991 34.13 +0.16 pp
1990 33.96 +0.23 pp
1989 33.73 +0.23 pp
1988 33.5 +0.22 pp
1987 33.28 +0.2 pp
1986 33.09 +0.18 pp
1985 32.91 +0.16 pp
1984 32.75 +0.14 pp
1983 32.6 +0.13 pp
1982 32.48 +0.15 pp
1981 32.33 +0.2 pp
1980 32.12 +0.47 pp
1979 31.65 +0.45 pp
1978 31.21 +0.42 pp
1977 30.78 +0.41 pp
1976 30.38 +0.39 pp
1975 29.98 +0.37 pp
1974 29.62 +0.36 pp
1973 29.26 +0.38 pp
1972 28.87 +0.39 pp
1971 28.48 +0.43 pp
1970 28.05 +0.55 pp
1969 27.5 +0.53 pp
1968 26.97 +0.51 pp
1967 26.46 +0.48 pp
1966 25.98 +0.45 pp
1965 25.53 +0.42 pp
1964 25.11 +0.43 pp
1963 24.68 +0.41 pp
1962 24.27 +0.4 pp
1961 23.87 +0.4 pp
1960 23.47

About the indicator

The share of a country's population living in urban agglomerations larger than one million people. The indicator separates countries with the same level of urbanization: in some the urban population is spread across many mid-sized cities, in others it is concentrated in one or two agglomerations. The highest values come from small countries with a single dominant city, where the capital agglomeration holds more than half of the country.

Important: Countries without agglomerations of this size are absent from the series rather than entered as zero. The aggregate for a group of countries is therefore calculated only where coverage is sufficient: averaging the countries that do have million-plus cities would overstate the share.

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