Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mexico
Mexico: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 27.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mexico, 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 Mexico stood at 27.0%.
The figure is down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mexico peaked at 30.3% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 13.4%, in 1950.
That places Mexico 48th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Mexico, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 13.4% | — |
| 1955 | 14.3% | +6.7% |
| 1960 | 15.5% | +8.9% |
| 1965 | 19.6% | +26.3% |
| 1970 | 23.5% | +20.0% |
| 1975 | 24.9% | +5.7% |
| 1980 | 26.2% | +5.3% |
| 1985 | 25.9% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 27.5% | +6.3% |
| 1995 | 28.1% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 30.1% | +7.2% |
| 2005 | 29.9% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 29.2% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 30.3% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 27.0% | -11.0% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 27.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 19.8%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 27.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 25.6%, 1.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.8% | 13.4% | 14.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 17.6% | 15.5% | 19.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 24.2% | 23.5% | 24.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 26.0% | 25.9% | 26.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 27.8% | 27.5% | 28.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 30.0% | 29.9% | 30.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 29.7% | 29.2% | 30.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 27.0% | 27.0% | 27.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More reference data data for Mexico
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 16.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 32.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 32.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 13.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 84.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 157.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 9.55 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mexico?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Mexico was 27.0% 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 30.3% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.4% in 1950.
- How does Mexico rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Mexico ranks 48th 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 Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mexico 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.