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

Pakistan: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 39.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
39.5%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
189th
of 238 countries
All-time high
39.5%
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 Pakistan, 1000–2025

010203040100015122025

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 Pakistan is 39.5%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Pakistan peaked at 39.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

That places Pakistan 189th out of 238 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom 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 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1600s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1
1700s 1.9% 1.9% 1.9% 1
1710s 2.2% 2.2% 2.2% 1
1720s 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1
1730s 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 1
1740s 2.8% 2.8% 2.8% 1
1750s 3.1% 3.1% 3.1% 1
1760s 3.4% 3.4% 3.4% 1
1770s 3.7% 3.7% 3.7% 1
1780s 4.1% 4.1% 4.1% 1
1790s 4.5% 4.5% 4.5% 1
1800s 4.9% 4.9% 4.9% 1
1810s 5.4% 5.4% 5.4% 1
1820s 5.9% 5.9% 5.9% 1
1830s 6.5% 6.5% 6.5% 1
1840s 7.1% 7.1% 7.1% 1
1850s 7.7% 7.7% 7.7% 1
1860s 8.5% 8.5% 8.5% 1
1870s 9.3% 9.3% 9.3% 1
1880s 10.2% 10.2% 10.2% 1
1890s 11.1% 11.1% 11.1% 1
1900s 12.2% 12.2% 12.2% 1
1910s 13.4% 13.4% 13.4% 1
1920s 14.6% 14.6% 14.6% 1
1930s 16.0% 16.0% 16.0% 1
1940s 17.5% 17.5% 17.5% 1
1950s 19.8% 17.4% 21.9% 10
1960s 23.5% 22.3% 24.6% 10
1970s 26.2% 24.8% 27.8% 10
1980s 29.3% 28.1% 30.5% 10
1990s 31.8% 30.8% 32.8% 10
2000s 33.8% 33.0% 34.6% 10
2010s 35.8% 34.8% 37.1% 10
2020s 38.6% 37.5% 39.5% 6

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 186 Zimbabwe 40.5% compare
  2. 187 Laos 40.3% compare
  3. 188 Faroe Islands 39.6% compare
  4. 190 Mauritius 39.0% compare
  5. 191 Vietnam 38.8% compare
  6. 192 Guinea 38.5% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More reference data data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Pakistan?
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Pakistan was 39.5% 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 Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 39.5% in 2025.
What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Pakistan rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
Pakistan ranks 189th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Pakistan 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.