Share of population living in urban areas in Poland

Poland: Share of population living in urban areas was 60.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
60.0%
World rank
180th
of 236 countries
All-time high
60.0%
in 2015
All-time low
49.3%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

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

02040601950198520201950: 49.3 %1955: 51.6 %1960: 53.9 %1965: 55.3 %1970: 56.3 %1975: 57.2 %1980: 58.2 %1985: 58.7 %1990: 59.3 %1995: 59.9 %2000: 60 %2005: 59.8 %2010: 59.8 %2015: 60 %2020: 60 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in Poland is 60.0%, measured in 2020.

The figure is up 0.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Poland peaked at 60.0% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 49.3%, in 1950.

That places Poland 180th 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 50.4% 49.3% 51.6% 2
1960s 54.6% 53.9% 55.3% 2
1970s 56.7% 56.3% 57.2% 2
1980s 58.5% 58.2% 58.7% 2
1990s 59.6% 59.3% 59.9% 2
2000s 59.9% 59.8% 60.0% 2
2010s 59.9% 59.8% 60.0% 2
2020s 60.0% 60.0% 60.0% 1

Countries ranked near Poland

  1. 177 Tonga 60.6% compare
  2. 178 Bulgaria 60.1% compare
  3. 179 Czechia 60.1% compare
  4. 181 Marshall Islands 59.4% compare
  5. 182 Paraguay 59.4% compare
  6. 183 Mauritania 59.1% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Poland

All data for Poland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Poland?
Share of population living in urban areas in Poland was 60.0% 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 Poland?
The highest recorded value was 60.0% in 2015.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Poland?
The lowest recorded value was 49.3% in 1950.
How does Poland rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Poland ranks 180th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Poland?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Poland 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.