Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Brazil
Brazil: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 79.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Brazil, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Brazil stood at 79.2%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Brazil peaked at 79.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 53.8%, in 1950.
That places Brazil 82nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Brazil, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 53.8% | — |
| 1955 | 57.1% | +6.1% |
| 1960 | 60.5% | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 63.7% | +5.3% |
| 1970 | 66.4% | +4.3% |
| 1975 | 68.9% | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 71.6% | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 73.1% | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 74.5% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 75.7% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 76.8% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 77.5% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 78.3% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 78.9% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 79.2% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 55.5% | 53.8% | 57.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 62.1% | 60.5% | 63.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 67.7% | 66.4% | 68.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 72.4% | 71.6% | 73.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 75.1% | 74.5% | 75.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 77.2% | 76.8% | 77.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 78.6% | 78.3% | 78.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 79.2% | 79.2% | 79.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
- 79 Nigeria 80.6% compare
- 80 San Marino 80.5% compare
- 81 Algeria 79.8% compare
- 83 Syrian Arab Republic 79.0% compare
- 84 Azerbaijan 78.9% compare
- 85 Russian Federation 78.8% compare
More reference data data for Brazil
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 13.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 72.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 139.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 9.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 139.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 46.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 18.99 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 405.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 699.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 49.04 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Brazil?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Brazil was 79.2% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 79.2% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.8% in 1950.
- How does Brazil rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Brazil ranks 82nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Brazil data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.