Share of population living in urban areas in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of population living in urban areas was 86.0% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Share of population living in urban areas in United Kingdom, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 86.0% 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 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in United Kingdom peaked at 86.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 84.1%, in 1950.
United Kingdom ranks 49th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Share of population living in urban areas in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 84.1% | — |
| 1955 | 84.2% | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 84.4% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 84.7% | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 84.9% | +0.2% |
| 1975 | 84.9% | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 84.7% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 84.6% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 84.7% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 84.9% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 85.0% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 85.2% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 85.4% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 85.7% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 86.0% | +0.4% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 86.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 76.2%, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 86.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 69.7%, 1.2× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 84.2% | 84.1% | 84.2% | 2 |
| 1960s | 84.6% | 84.4% | 84.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 84.9% | 84.9% | 84.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 84.7% | 84.6% | 84.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 84.8% | 84.7% | 84.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 85.1% | 85.0% | 85.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 85.6% | 85.4% | 85.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 86.0% | 86.0% | 86.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in United Kingdom?
- Share of population living in urban areas in United Kingdom was 86.0% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 86.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.1% in 1950.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- United Kingdom ranks 49th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.