Mexico vs Philippines: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents

Mexico
27.0%
in 2020
Philippines
26.5%
in 2020
Mexico rank
48th
Philippines rank
49th

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents over time

  • Mexico
  • Philippines
0102030195019852020

How they compare

Mexico currently reports 27.0% against 26.5% in Philippines, a difference of 0.5%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Philippines ahead.

Mexico ranks 48th and Philippines ranks 49th of 180 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Mexico averaged higher in 7 and Philippines in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Mexico Philippines Difference Ahead
1950s 13.8% 14.3% 0.5% Philippines
1960s 17.6% 16.1% 1.5% Mexico
1970s 24.2% 18.6% 5.6% Mexico
1980s 26.0% 20.9% 5.2% Mexico
1990s 27.8% 24.4% 3.3% Mexico
2000s 30.0% 24.9% 5.1% Mexico
2010s 29.7% 25.9% 3.8% Mexico
2020s 27.0% 26.5% 0.5% Mexico

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents, Mexico or Philippines?
Mexico, at 27.0% against 26.5% in Philippines as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents between Mexico and Philippines?
0.5%, with Mexico ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Mexico and Philippines?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Mexico and Philippines rank globally for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Mexico ranks 48th and Philippines ranks 49th of 180 countries.
Where does this data come from?
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 2,505 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.