Share of population living in urban areas in Reunion

Reunion: Share of population living in urban areas was 88.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
88.3%
World rank
38th
of 236 countries
All-time high
88.6%
in 2010
All-time low
58.8%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

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

0204060801950198520201950: 58.8 %1955: 63.1 %1960: 67.2 %1965: 70.6 %1970: 73.2 %1975: 75.1 %1980: 76.7 %1985: 81.4 %1990: 84 %1995: 86.2 %2000: 87.6 %2005: 88.1 %2010: 88.6 %2015: 88.4 %2020: 88.3 %

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 Reunion is 88.3%, measured in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Reunion peaked at 88.6% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 58.8%, in 1950.

That places Reunion 38th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 61.0% 58.8% 63.1% 2
1960s 68.9% 67.2% 70.6% 2
1970s 74.1% 73.2% 75.1% 2
1980s 79.0% 76.7% 81.4% 2
1990s 85.1% 84.0% 86.2% 2
2000s 87.8% 87.6% 88.1% 2
2010s 88.5% 88.4% 88.6% 2
2020s 88.3% 88.3% 88.3% 1

Countries ranked near Reunion

  1. 35 Lebanon 89.6% compare
  2. 36 Equatorial Guinea 89.5% compare
  3. 37 Venezuela 88.5% compare
  4. 39 Pakistan 88.0% compare
  5. 40 Iraq 87.5% compare
  6. 41 Trinidad and Tobago 87.4% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Reunion

All data for Reunion →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Reunion?
Share of population living in urban areas in Reunion was 88.3% 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 Reunion?
The highest recorded value was 88.6% in 2010.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Reunion?
The lowest recorded value was 58.8% in 1950.
How does Reunion rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Reunion ranks 38th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Reunion?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Reunion 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.