Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Israel

Israel: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 28.1% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
28.1%
World rank
41st
of 180 countries
All-time high
28.1%
in 2020
All-time low
0.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Israel, 1950–2020

01020301950198520201950: 0 %1955: 0 %1960: 0 %1965: 0 %1970: 0 %1975: 0 %1980: 0 %1985: 0 %1990: 23 %1995: 27 %2000: 27.4 %2005: 27.2 %2010: 27.3 %2015: 27.4 %2020: 28.1 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Israel recorded 28.1% for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Israel peaked at 28.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.

That places Israel 41st out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1960s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1970s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1990s 25.0% 23.0% 27.0% 2
2000s 27.3% 27.2% 27.4% 2
2010s 27.4% 27.3% 27.4% 2
2020s 28.1% 28.1% 28.1% 1

Countries ranked near Israel

  1. 38 Mauritania 29.6% compare
  2. 39 Australia 29.5% compare
  3. 40 South Africa 29.5% compare
  4. 42 Malaysia 27.9% compare
  5. 43 Syria 27.9% compare
  6. 44 Bangladesh 27.7% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Israel

All data for Israel →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Israel?
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Israel was 28.1% 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 Israel?
The highest recorded value was 28.1% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Israel?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
How does Israel rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Israel ranks 41st 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 Israel?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Israel 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 2,505 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

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.