Share of population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Share of population in cities over 1 million — Middle East & North Africa

Share of population in cities over 1 million in Middle East & North Africa in 2025 — 22.79%. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 8.51 pp.

2025 22.79% +0.06 pp vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 22.79%2025
Period minimum 14.28%1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · % of population

Share of population in cities over 1 million — Middle East & North Africa, 1960–202512.51517.52022.52519601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 14.28%1962: 14.95%1964: 15.66%1966: 16.39%1968: 16.93%1970: 17.5%1972: 18.14%1974: 18.76%1976: 19.26%1978: 19.61%1980: 19.9%1982: 20.08%1984: 20.17%1986: 20.29%1988: 20.37%1990: 20.5%1992: 20.65%1994: 20.77%1996: 20.91%1998: 21.01%2000: 21.09%2002: 21.22%2004: 21.24%2006: 21.24%2008: 21.33%2010: 21.52%2012: 21.33%2014: 21.4%2016: 21.85%2018: 22.29%2020: 22.47%2022: 22.66%2024: 22.73%2025: 22.79%
Change over the period: +8.51 pp Annual average: 0.13 pp

Comparison, 2025

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

Middle East & North Africa 22.79%
World 25.29%
Share of population in cities over 1 million — Middle East & North Africa, by year Middle East & North Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2025 22.79 +0.06 pp
2024 22.73 +0.04 pp
2023 22.69 +0.03 pp
2022 22.66 +0.05 pp
2021 22.61 +0.14 pp
2020 22.47 +0.07 pp
2019 22.4 +0.11 pp
2018 22.29 +0.23 pp
2017 22.06 +0.21 pp
2016 21.85 +0.26 pp
2015 21.59 +0.19 pp
2014 21.4 +0.07 pp
2013 21.32 −0 pp
2012 21.33 −0.06 pp
2011 21.39 −0.14 pp
2010 21.52 +0.12 pp
2009 21.4 +0.07 pp
2008 21.33 +0.07 pp
2007 21.26 +0.02 pp
2006 21.24 +0 pp
2005 21.24 −0.01 pp
2004 21.24 −0.02 pp
2003 21.27 +0.05 pp
2002 21.22 +0.07 pp
2001 21.14 +0.05 pp
2000 21.09 +0.05 pp
1999 21.05 +0.03 pp
1998 21.01 +0.05 pp
1997 20.97 +0.05 pp
1996 20.91 +0.08 pp
1995 20.84 +0.07 pp
1994 20.77 +0.07 pp
1993 20.7 +0.05 pp
1992 20.65 +0.07 pp
1991 20.58 +0.08 pp
1990 20.5 +0.09 pp
1989 20.41 +0.04 pp
1988 20.37 +0.05 pp
1987 20.33 +0.03 pp
1986 20.29 +0.07 pp
1985 20.22 +0.05 pp
1984 20.17 +0.04 pp
1983 20.12 +0.04 pp
1982 20.08 +0.07 pp
1981 20.01 +0.11 pp
1980 19.9 +0.14 pp
1979 19.76 +0.15 pp
1978 19.61 +0.16 pp
1977 19.45 +0.19 pp
1976 19.26 +0.22 pp
1975 19.04 +0.28 pp
1974 18.76 +0.31 pp
1973 18.46 +0.31 pp
1972 18.14 +0.33 pp
1971 17.81 +0.31 pp
1970 17.5 +0.29 pp
1969 17.21 +0.28 pp
1968 16.93 +0.28 pp
1967 16.66 +0.27 pp
1966 16.39 +0.35 pp
1965 16.04 +0.38 pp
1964 15.66 +0.37 pp
1963 15.29 +0.34 pp
1962 14.95 +0.33 pp
1961 14.62 +0.34 pp
1960 14.28

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.