Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Brazil

Brazil: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 88.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
88.2%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
47th
of 238 countries
All-time high
88.2%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Brazil, 1000–2025

020406080100015122025

Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Brazil is 88.2%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Brazil peaked at 88.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

That places Brazil 47th out of 238 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1100s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1200s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1300s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1400s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1500s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1600s 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1
1700s 3.6% 3.6% 3.6% 1
1710s 4.1% 4.1% 4.1% 1
1720s 4.5% 4.5% 4.5% 1
1730s 4.9% 4.9% 4.9% 1
1740s 5.4% 5.4% 5.4% 1
1750s 5.9% 5.9% 5.9% 1
1760s 6.4% 6.4% 6.4% 1
1770s 7.0% 7.0% 7.0% 1
1780s 7.7% 7.7% 7.7% 1
1790s 8.4% 8.4% 8.4% 1
1800s 9.2% 9.2% 9.2% 1
1810s 10.1% 10.1% 10.1% 1
1820s 11.1% 11.1% 11.1% 1
1830s 12.1% 12.1% 12.1% 1
1840s 13.3% 13.3% 13.3% 1
1850s 14.6% 14.6% 14.6% 1
1860s 15.9% 15.9% 15.9% 1
1870s 17.5% 17.5% 17.5% 1
1880s 19.1% 19.1% 19.1% 1
1890s 20.9% 20.9% 20.9% 1
1900s 22.9% 22.9% 22.9% 1
1910s 25.1% 25.1% 25.1% 1
1920s 27.5% 27.5% 27.5% 1
1930s 30.1% 30.1% 30.1% 1
1940s 33.0% 33.0% 33.0% 1
1950s 40.2% 36.5% 43.8% 10
1960s 48.3% 44.7% 52.2% 10
1970s 59.6% 53.2% 66.3% 10
1980s 71.1% 67.4% 74.2% 10
1990s 77.6% 74.9% 80.5% 10
2000s 82.7% 81.1% 84.1% 10
2010s 85.5% 84.3% 86.7% 10
2020s 87.5% 86.9% 88.2% 6

Countries ranked near Brazil

  1. 44 Andorra 88.9% compare
  2. 45 Denmark 88.8% compare
  3. 46 Greenland 88.6% compare
  4. 48 Libya 87.9% compare
  5. 49 Australia 87.7% compare
  6. 50 Belgium 87.7% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More reference data data for Brazil

All data for Brazil →

Frequently asked questions

What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Brazil?
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Brazil was 88.2% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Brazil?
The highest recorded value was 88.2% in 2025.
What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Brazil?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Brazil rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
Brazil ranks 47th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Brazil?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Brazil data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Do more people live in urban or rural areas?
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 24,444 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.