Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 59.4% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Marshall Islands, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Marshall Islands recorded 59.4% for share of population living in urban and rural areas in 2020.
The figure is up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Marshall Islands peaked at 60.8% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
Marshall Islands ranks 181st of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Marshall Islands, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.0% | — |
| 1955 | 0.0% | — |
| 1960 | 0.0% | — |
| 1965 | 33.1% | — |
| 1970 | 38.0% | +14.7% |
| 1975 | 41.4% | +9.1% |
| 1980 | 36.9% | -10.9% |
| 1985 | 39.2% | +6.2% |
| 1990 | 40.3% | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 50.4% | +25.0% |
| 2000 | 51.2% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 53.5% | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 56.3% | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 60.8% | +8.0% |
| 2020 | 59.4% | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 16.6% | 0.0% | 33.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 39.7% | 38.0% | 41.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 38.1% | 36.9% | 39.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 45.4% | 40.3% | 50.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 52.3% | 51.2% | 53.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 58.6% | 56.3% | 60.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 59.4% | 59.4% | 59.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Marshall Islands
More reference data data for Marshall Islands
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 0 (2019)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Marshall Islands?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Marshall Islands was 59.4% 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 Marshall Islands?
- The highest recorded value was 60.8% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Marshall Islands?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Marshall Islands rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Marshall Islands ranks 181st out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Marshall Islands?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Marshall Islands 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.