World Urban Population Share
57.8% of the world's population lived in urban areas in 2025, up from 57.6% a year earlier.
Updated July 12, 2026
World Urban Population Share
% of world populationDownload this statistic
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How this statistic is built
DefinitionPeople living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices, as a share of total world population (UN World Urbanization Prospects).
Limitations'Urban' is defined nationally and inconsistently — thresholds range from a few hundred residents to tens of thousands, so the level is softer than the trend.
Frequently Asked Questions
57.8% of the world's population lived in urban areas in 2025, up from 57.6% a year earlier.
World Bank — World Development Indicators (SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS), World aggregate. License: CC BY 4.0. StatsPanda charts the original series directly and cites it on every download.
The underlying series is released on a annual cadence. This page was last updated July 12, 2026, and refreshes with each source release.