Share of population living in urban areas in Guatemala

Guatemala: Share of population living in urban areas was 72.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
72.9%
World rank
126th
of 236 countries
All-time high
73.1%
in 2015
All-time low
50.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Guatemala, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 50 %1955: 52.4 %1960: 54.9 %1965: 57.5 %1970: 60 %1975: 62.2 %1980: 63.7 %1985: 65.4 %1990: 67.5 %1995: 69.7 %2000: 71.6 %2005: 72.5 %2010: 73 %2015: 73.1 %2020: 72.9 %

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

Analysis

Guatemala recorded 72.9% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Guatemala peaked at 73.1% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 50.0%, in 1950.

Guatemala ranks 126th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 51.2% 50.0% 52.4% 2
1960s 56.2% 54.9% 57.5% 2
1970s 61.1% 60.0% 62.2% 2
1980s 64.6% 63.7% 65.4% 2
1990s 68.6% 67.5% 69.7% 2
2000s 72.0% 71.6% 72.5% 2
2010s 73.0% 73.0% 73.1% 2
2020s 72.9% 72.9% 72.9% 1

Countries ranked near Guatemala

  1. 123 Andorra 73.4% compare
  2. 124 Germany 73.0% compare
  3. 125 Peru 73.0% compare
  4. 127 Democratic Republic of Congo 72.9% compare
  5. 128 Saint Lucia 72.7% compare
  6. 129 Nepal 72.6% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Guatemala

All data for Guatemala →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Guatemala?
Share of population living in urban areas in Guatemala was 72.9% 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 Guatemala?
The highest recorded value was 73.1% in 2015.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Guatemala?
The lowest recorded value was 50.0% in 1950.
How does Guatemala rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Guatemala ranks 126th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Guatemala?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Guatemala 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.