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.
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
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2659 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.0006 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0351 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.3721 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.1099 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 234.41 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
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.