Share of population living in urban areas in Cook Islands

Cook Islands: Share of population living in urban areas was 0.0% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
0.0%
World rank
228th
of 236 countries
All-time high
54.4%
in 2005
All-time low
0.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Cook Islands, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 0 %1955: 0 %1960: 0 %1965: 0 %1970: 0 %1975: 0 %1980: 0 %1985: 0 %1990: 0 %1995: 0 %2000: 0 %2005: 54.4 %2010: 49.7 %2015: 45 %2020: 0 %

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

Analysis

Cook Islands recorded 0.0% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 100.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Cook Islands peaked at 54.4% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.

Cook Islands ranks 228th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom 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 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
2000s 27.2% 0.0% 54.4% 2
2010s 47.4% 45.0% 49.7% 2
2020s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1

Countries ranked near Cook Islands

  1. 225 Micronesia (country) 29.4% compare
  2. 226 Eswatini 23.5% compare
  3. 227 Solomon Islands 21.9% compare
  4. 228 Anguilla 0.0% compare
  5. 228 Falkland Islands 0.0% compare
  6. 228 Montserrat 0.0% compare
  7. 228 Niue 0.0% compare
  8. 228 Saint Helena 0.0% compare
  9. 228 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.0% compare
  10. 228 Tokelau 0.0% compare
  11. 228 Wallis and Futuna 0.0% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Cook Islands

All data for Cook Islands →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Cook Islands?
Share of population living in urban areas in Cook Islands was 0.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Cook Islands?
The highest recorded value was 54.4% in 2005.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Cook Islands?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
How does Cook Islands rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Cook Islands ranks 228th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Cook Islands?
Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Cook Islands data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. 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 urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.