Share of population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Share of population in cities over 1 million — Lower-middle-income countries

Share of population in cities over 1 million in lower-middle-income countries in 2025 — 17.95%. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 9.95 pp.

2025 17.95% +0.23 pp vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 17.95%2025
Period minimum 8.01%1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · % of population

Share of population in cities over 1 million — Lower-middle-income countries, 1960–20257.51012.51517.52019601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 8.01%1962: 8.27%1964: 8.54%1966: 8.84%1968: 9.16%1970: 9.5%1972: 9.9%1974: 10.3%1976: 10.5%1978: 10.83%1980: 11.13%1982: 11.34%1984: 11.55%1986: 11.77%1988: 12%1990: 12.24%1992: 12.47%1994: 12.71%1996: 12.96%1998: 13.21%2000: 13.47%2002: 13.7%2004: 13.93%2006: 14.18%2008: 14.46%2010: 14.77%2012: 15.11%2014: 15.47%2016: 15.87%2018: 16.32%2020: 16.75%2022: 17.25%2024: 17.73%2025: 17.95%
Change over the period: +9.95 pp Annual average: 0.15 pp

Comparison, 2025

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

Lower-middle-income countries 17.95%
World 25.29%
Share of population in cities over 1 million — Lower-middle-income countries, by year Lower-middle-income countries All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2025 17.95 +0.23 pp
2024 17.73 +0.23 pp
2023 17.49 +0.25 pp
2022 17.25 +0.26 pp
2021 16.99 +0.24 pp
2020 16.75 +0.22 pp
2019 16.53 +0.21 pp
2018 16.32 +0.23 pp
2017 16.09 +0.22 pp
2016 15.87 +0.21 pp
2015 15.67 +0.2 pp
2014 15.47 +0.19 pp
2013 15.28 +0.18 pp
2012 15.11 +0.17 pp
2011 14.94 +0.16 pp
2010 14.77 +0.16 pp
2009 14.62 +0.15 pp
2008 14.46 +0.15 pp
2007 14.31 +0.13 pp
2006 14.18 +0.13 pp
2005 14.05 +0.12 pp
2004 13.93 +0.11 pp
2003 13.81 +0.11 pp
2002 13.7 +0.11 pp
2001 13.59 +0.12 pp
2000 13.47 +0.13 pp
1999 13.33 +0.13 pp
1998 13.21 +0.12 pp
1997 13.08 +0.12 pp
1996 12.96 +0.12 pp
1995 12.84 +0.12 pp
1994 12.71 +0.13 pp
1993 12.59 +0.11 pp
1992 12.47 +0.11 pp
1991 12.36 +0.12 pp
1990 12.24 +0.13 pp
1989 12.11 +0.12 pp
1988 12 +0.12 pp
1987 11.88 +0.11 pp
1986 11.77 +0.11 pp
1985 11.65 +0.11 pp
1984 11.55 +0.1 pp
1983 11.45 +0.1 pp
1982 11.34 +0.1 pp
1981 11.25 +0.12 pp
1980 11.13 +0.15 pp
1979 10.98 +0.15 pp
1978 10.83 +0.16 pp
1977 10.66 +0.16 pp
1976 10.5 +0.16 pp
1975 10.34 +0.04 pp
1974 10.3 +0.2 pp
1973 10.1 +0.2 pp
1972 9.9 +0.21 pp
1971 9.7 +0.2 pp
1970 9.5 +0.17 pp
1969 9.33 +0.17 pp
1968 9.16 +0.16 pp
1967 9 +0.15 pp
1966 8.84 +0.15 pp
1965 8.69 +0.14 pp
1964 8.54 +0.14 pp
1963 8.4 +0.14 pp
1962 8.27 +0.13 pp
1961 8.13 +0.13 pp
1960 8.01

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.