Share of population living in urban areas in Paraguay

Paraguay: Share of population living in urban areas was 59.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
59.4%
World rank
182nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
62.3%
in 2010
All-time low
38.5%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

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

02040601950198520201950: 38.5 %1955: 40.6 %1960: 42.8 %1965: 45.2 %1970: 47.6 %1975: 50.1 %1980: 51.9 %1985: 53 %1990: 54.1 %1995: 56.6 %2000: 59.3 %2005: 61.5 %2010: 62.3 %2015: 61.6 %2020: 59.4 %

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

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in urban areas in Paraguay stood at 59.4%.

That represents a change of down 4.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Paraguay peaked at 62.3% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 38.5%, in 1950.

That places Paraguay 182nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 39.6% 38.5% 40.6% 2
1960s 44.0% 42.8% 45.2% 2
1970s 48.9% 47.6% 50.1% 2
1980s 52.5% 51.9% 53.0% 2
1990s 55.4% 54.1% 56.6% 2
2000s 60.4% 59.3% 61.5% 2
2010s 62.0% 61.6% 62.3% 2
2020s 59.4% 59.4% 59.4% 1

Countries ranked near Paraguay

  1. 179 Czechia 60.1% compare
  2. 180 Poland 60.0% compare
  3. 181 Marshall Islands 59.4% compare
  4. 183 Mauritania 59.1% compare
  5. 184 Honduras 59.1% compare
  6. 185 Liberia 59.0% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Paraguay

All data for Paraguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Paraguay?
Share of population living in urban areas in Paraguay was 59.4% 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 Paraguay?
The highest recorded value was 62.3% in 2010.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Paraguay?
The lowest recorded value was 38.5% in 1950.
How does Paraguay rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Paraguay ranks 182nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Paraguay?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Paraguay 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.