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

Yemen: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 14.2% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
14.2%
World rank
98th
of 180 countries
All-time high
14.2%
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 Yemen, 1950–2020

0510151950198520201950: 0 %1955: 0 %1960: 0 %1965: 0 %1970: 0 %1975: 0 %1980: 0 %1985: 0 %1990: 0 %1995: 7.5 %2000: 8.4 %2005: 9.2 %2010: 13.1 %2015: 13.2 %2020: 14.2 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Yemen is 14.2%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 8.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Yemen peaked at 14.2% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.

That places Yemen 98th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

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 3.8% 0.0% 7.5% 2
2000s 8.8% 8.4% 9.2% 2
2010s 13.1% 13.1% 13.2% 2
2020s 14.2% 14.2% 14.2% 1

Countries ranked near Yemen

  1. 95 Bulgaria 15.6% compare
  2. 96 Italy 14.9% compare
  3. 97 Cuba 14.5% compare
  4. 99 Sweden 13.9% compare
  5. 100 Sudan 13.7% compare
  6. 101 Tajikistan 13.4% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Yemen

All data for Yemen →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Yemen?
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Yemen was 14.2% 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 Yemen?
The highest recorded value was 14.2% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Yemen?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
How does Yemen rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Yemen ranks 98th 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 Yemen?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Yemen 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.