Share of population living in urban areas in Nauru
Nauru: Share of population living in urban areas was 92.4% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living in urban areas in Nauru, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nauru recorded 92.4% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Nauru peaked at 92.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
That places Nauru 21st out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 82.2% | 82.0% | 82.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 84.7% | 80.8% | 88.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 87.4% | 87.1% | 87.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 86.1% | 85.8% | 86.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 89.6% | 88.3% | 91.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 92.4% | 92.4% | 92.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nauru
More reference data data for Nauru
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 3 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Democracy 7 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Foreign aid received as grants and concessional loans 46.39 million constant 2024 US$ (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Nauru?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Nauru was 92.4% 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 Nauru?
- The highest recorded value was 92.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Nauru?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Nauru rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Nauru ranks 21st out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Nauru?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Nauru 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
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.