Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Brazil
Brazil: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 30.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Brazil, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Brazil stood at 30.8%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Brazil peaked at 30.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.1%, in 1950.
That places Brazil 34th out of 180 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 cities with more than 1 million residents in Brazil, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 10.1% | — |
| 1955 | 10.8% | +7.1% |
| 1960 | 13.2% | +22.2% |
| 1965 | 14.4% | +9.2% |
| 1970 | 18.2% | +26.1% |
| 1975 | 20.2% | +11.2% |
| 1980 | 24.3% | +20.2% |
| 1985 | 24.8% | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 24.9% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 26.3% | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 27.2% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 27.6% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 28.2% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 29.4% | +4.3% |
| 2020 | 30.8% | +4.6% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 30.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.8%, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 30.8% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 25.6%, 1.2× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 10.4% | 10.1% | 10.8% | 2 |
| 1960s | 13.8% | 13.2% | 14.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 19.2% | 18.2% | 20.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 24.5% | 24.3% | 24.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 25.6% | 24.9% | 26.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 27.4% | 27.2% | 27.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 28.8% | 28.2% | 29.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 30.8% | 30.8% | 30.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
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 cities with more than 1 million residents in Brazil?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Brazil was 30.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 30.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.1% in 1950.
- How does Brazil rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Brazil ranks 34th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. 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 minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.