Share of population living in urban areas in Yemen
Yemen: Share of population living in urban areas was 85.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Yemen, 1950–2020
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 Yemen stood at 85.7%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Yemen peaked at 85.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 47.3%, in 1950.
That places Yemen 51st 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.
Share of population living in urban areas in Yemen, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 47.3% | — |
| 1955 | 48.5% | +2.5% |
| 1960 | 50.1% | +3.4% |
| 1965 | 52.2% | +4.1% |
| 1970 | 54.7% | +4.9% |
| 1975 | 57.5% | +5.1% |
| 1980 | 62.0% | +7.8% |
| 1985 | 65.9% | +6.2% |
| 1990 | 69.8% | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 73.9% | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 76.7% | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 79.2% | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 81.5% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 83.8% | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 85.7% | +2.2% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 85.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 64.4%, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 85.7% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 88.0%, 97% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47.9% | 47.3% | 48.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 51.2% | 50.1% | 52.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 56.1% | 54.7% | 57.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 63.9% | 62.0% | 65.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 71.8% | 69.8% | 73.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 77.9% | 76.7% | 79.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 82.7% | 81.5% | 83.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 85.7% | 85.7% | 85.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
- 48 Argentina 86.0% compare
- 49 United Kingdom 86.0% compare
- 50 Indonesia 85.9% compare
- 52 Dominican Republic 85.5% compare
- 53 Uzbekistan 85.4% compare
- 54 Philippines 84.8% compare
More reference data data for Yemen
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1676 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0827 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5619 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2189 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 17.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4503 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Yemen?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Yemen was 85.7% 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 Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 85.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.3% in 1950.
- How does Yemen rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Yemen ranks 51st out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Yemen 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
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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.