Share of population in cities over 1 million — all countries

Share of population in cities over 1 million — Western Europe

Share of population in cities over 1 million in Western Europe in 2025 — 16.39%. Since 1960, the indicator has risen by 1.2 pp.

2025 16.39% +0.05 pp vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 16.39%2025
Period minimum 15.05%1973

Trend over time

1960–2025 · % of population

Share of population in cities over 1 million — Western Europe, 1960–20251515.51616.519601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 15.19%1962: 15.25%1964: 15.19%1966: 15.14%1968: 15.16%1970: 15.13%1972: 15.08%1974: 15.06%1976: 15.12%1978: 15.13%1980: 15.1%1982: 15.11%1984: 15.17%1986: 15.27%1988: 15.4%1990: 15.46%1992: 15.41%1994: 15.39%1996: 15.37%1998: 15.34%2000: 15.35%2002: 15.4%2004: 15.47%2006: 15.58%2008: 15.71%2010: 15.85%2012: 16.04%2014: 16.09%2016: 16.08%2018: 16.16%2020: 16.23%2022: 16.3%2024: 16.34%2025: 16.39%
Change over the period: +1.2 pp Annual average: 0.02 pp

Comparison, 2025

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

Western Europe 16.39%
World 25.29%
Share of population in cities over 1 million — Western Europe, by year Western Europe All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2025 16.39 +0.05 pp
2024 16.34 +0.02 pp
2023 16.32 +0.02 pp
2022 16.3 +0.03 pp
2021 16.28 +0.04 pp
2020 16.23 +0.04 pp
2019 16.19 +0.03 pp
2018 16.16 +0.04 pp
2017 16.12 +0.04 pp
2016 16.08 +0 pp
2015 16.08 −0.01 pp
2014 16.09 +0.02 pp
2013 16.07 +0.03 pp
2012 16.04 +0.03 pp
2011 16.01 +0.16 pp
2010 15.85 +0.06 pp
2009 15.78 +0.07 pp
2008 15.71 +0.07 pp
2007 15.64 +0.07 pp
2006 15.58 +0.07 pp
2005 15.51 +0.04 pp
2004 15.47 +0.03 pp
2003 15.43 +0.03 pp
2002 15.4 +0.03 pp
2001 15.37 +0.02 pp
2000 15.35 +0.02 pp
1999 15.33 −0 pp
1998 15.34 −0.01 pp
1997 15.35 −0.01 pp
1996 15.37 −0.01 pp
1995 15.38 −0.01 pp
1994 15.39 −0.01 pp
1993 15.4 −0.02 pp
1992 15.41 −0.03 pp
1991 15.44 −0.02 pp
1990 15.46 +0.01 pp
1989 15.45 +0.05 pp
1988 15.4 −0.03 pp
1987 15.42 +0.15 pp
1986 15.27 +0.05 pp
1985 15.22 +0.04 pp
1984 15.17 +0.03 pp
1983 15.14 +0.03 pp
1982 15.11 +0.03 pp
1981 15.09 −0.01 pp
1980 15.1 −0.02 pp
1979 15.12 −0.01 pp
1978 15.13 +0 pp
1977 15.13 +0.01 pp
1976 15.12 +0.03 pp
1975 15.09 +0.04 pp
1974 15.06 +0.01 pp
1973 15.05 −0.03 pp
1972 15.08 −0.04 pp
1971 15.12 −0.01 pp
1970 15.13 +0 pp
1969 15.13 −0.03 pp
1968 15.16 +0.01 pp
1967 15.15 +0.01 pp
1966 15.14 −0.02 pp
1965 15.16 −0.03 pp
1964 15.19 −0.03 pp
1963 15.21 −0.03 pp
1962 15.25 +0 pp
1961 15.24 +0.06 pp
1960 15.19

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.