Share of population living in urban areas in Tuvalu

Tuvalu: Share of population living in urban areas was 72.4% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
72.4%
World rank
132nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
72.4%
in 2020
All-time low
0.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

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

0204060801950198520201950: 0 %1955: 0 %1960: 0 %1965: 0 %1970: 0 %1975: 0 %1980: 0 %1985: 0 %1990: 0 %1995: 0 %2000: 0 %2005: 0 %2010: 53.8 %2015: 60.1 %2020: 72.4 %

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

Analysis

Tuvalu recorded 72.4% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 34.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Tuvalu peaked at 72.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.

Tuvalu ranks 132nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1960s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1970s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1990s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
2010s 56.9% 53.8% 60.1% 2
2020s 72.4% 72.4% 72.4% 1

Countries ranked near Tuvalu

  1. 129 Nepal 72.6% compare
  2. 130 Benin 72.6% compare
  3. 131 Grenada 72.5% compare
  4. 133 Jamaica 72.4% compare
  5. 134 Cape Verde 71.6% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Tuvalu

All data for Tuvalu →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Tuvalu?
Share of population living in urban areas in Tuvalu was 72.4% 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 Tuvalu?
The highest recorded value was 72.4% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Tuvalu?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
How does Tuvalu rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Tuvalu ranks 132nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Tuvalu?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Tuvalu 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.