Share of population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Share of population in cities over 1 million — OPEC

Share of population in cities over 1 million in OPEC in 2025 — 23.18%. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 11.87 pp.

2025 23.18% +0.1 pp vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 23.18%2025
Period minimum 11.31%1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · % of population

Share of population in cities over 1 million — OPEC, 1960–20251015202519601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 11.31%1962: 12.12%1964: 12.99%1966: 13.84%1968: 14.61%1970: 15.43%1972: 16.24%1974: 17.01%1976: 17.62%1978: 18.09%1980: 18.51%1982: 18.8%1984: 19.24%1986: 19.64%1988: 19.91%1990: 20.33%1992: 20.6%1994: 20.64%1996: 20.71%1998: 20.85%2000: 20.98%2002: 21.11%2004: 21.12%2006: 21.12%2008: 21.24%2010: 21.46%2012: 21.55%2014: 21.61%2016: 21.77%2018: 22.26%2020: 22.6%2022: 22.91%2024: 23.08%2025: 23.18%
Change over the period: +11.87 pp Annual average: 0.18 pp

Comparison, 2025

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

OPEC 23.18%
World 25.29%
Share of population in cities over 1 million — OPEC, by year OPEC All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2025 23.18 +0.1 pp
2024 23.08 +0.09 pp
2023 22.98 +0.08 pp
2022 22.91 +0.08 pp
2021 22.83 +0.23 pp
2020 22.6 +0.14 pp
2019 22.45 +0.2 pp
2018 22.26 +0.29 pp
2017 21.97 +0.2 pp
2016 21.77 +0.1 pp
2015 21.67 +0.06 pp
2014 21.61 +0.07 pp
2013 21.55 −0 pp
2012 21.55 +0.03 pp
2011 21.52 +0.06 pp
2010 21.46 +0.14 pp
2009 21.32 +0.08 pp
2008 21.24 +0.08 pp
2007 21.16 +0.04 pp
2006 21.12 +0.02 pp
2005 21.09 −0.03 pp
2004 21.12 −0.06 pp
2003 21.18 +0.07 pp
2002 21.11 +0.08 pp
2001 21.03 +0.05 pp
2000 20.98 +0.06 pp
1999 20.92 +0.07 pp
1998 20.85 +0.07 pp
1997 20.78 +0.07 pp
1996 20.71 +0.05 pp
1995 20.66 +0.02 pp
1994 20.64 +0.02 pp
1993 20.62 +0.02 pp
1992 20.6 +0.07 pp
1991 20.53 +0.19 pp
1990 20.33 +0.26 pp
1989 20.07 +0.17 pp
1988 19.91 +0.14 pp
1987 19.76 +0.13 pp
1986 19.64 +0.21 pp
1985 19.43 +0.19 pp
1984 19.24 +0.19 pp
1983 19.05 +0.25 pp
1982 18.8 +0.14 pp
1981 18.66 +0.15 pp
1980 18.51 +0.21 pp
1979 18.3 +0.21 pp
1978 18.09 +0.22 pp
1977 17.87 +0.26 pp
1976 17.62 +0.29 pp
1975 17.33 +0.32 pp
1974 17.01 +0.37 pp
1973 16.64 +0.4 pp
1972 16.24 +0.41 pp
1971 15.83 +0.4 pp
1970 15.43 +0.41 pp
1969 15.02 +0.4 pp
1968 14.61 +0.39 pp
1967 14.22 +0.38 pp
1966 13.84 +0.41 pp
1965 13.44 +0.44 pp
1964 12.99 +0.44 pp
1963 12.55 +0.43 pp
1962 12.12 +0.4 pp
1961 11.72 +0.41 pp
1960 11.31

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.