Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Réunion
Réunion: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 88.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Réunion, 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 Réunion stood at 88.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Réunion peaked at 88.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 58.8%, in 1950.
That places Réunion 38th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
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 Réunion, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 58.8% | — |
| 1955 | 63.1% | +7.4% |
| 1960 | 67.2% | +6.4% |
| 1965 | 70.6% | +5.1% |
| 1970 | 73.2% | +3.6% |
| 1975 | 75.1% | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 76.7% | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 81.4% | +6.2% |
| 1990 | 84.0% | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 86.2% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 87.6% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 88.1% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 88.6% | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 88.4% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 88.3% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 61.0% | 58.8% | 63.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 68.9% | 67.2% | 70.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 74.1% | 73.2% | 75.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 79.0% | 76.7% | 81.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 85.1% | 84.0% | 86.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 87.8% | 87.6% | 88.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 88.5% | 88.4% | 88.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 88.3% | 88.3% | 88.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Réunion
- 35 Lebanon 89.6% compare
- 36 Equatorial Guinea 89.5% compare
- 37 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 88.5% compare
- 39 Pakistan 88.0% compare
- 40 Iraq 87.5% compare
- 41 Trinidad and Tobago 87.4% compare
More reference data data for Réunion
- Milk production 26,146 tonnes (2006)
- Land area in hectares 251,000 hectares (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.17 live births per woman (2023)
- FAO projections of arable land 28,665 hectares (2023)
- Share of land used for permanent meadows and pastures 5.16 percent (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 2.17 live births per woman (2023)
- Area of permanent meadows and pastures 12,962 hectares (2023)
- Average age of mothers at childbirth 30.37 years (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.17 live births per woman (2023)
- Global number of reported disasters by size 0 events (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Réunion?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Réunion was 88.3% 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 Réunion?
- The highest recorded value was 88.6% in 2010.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Réunion?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.8% in 1950.
- How does Réunion rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Réunion ranks 38th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Réunion?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Réunion 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.