Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Palestine
Palestine: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 87.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
87.4%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
51st
of 238 countries
All-time high
87.4%
in 2025
All-time low
37.3%
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Palestine, 1950–2025
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
Palestine recorded 87.4% for do more people live in urban or rural areas? in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Palestine peaked at 87.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 37.3%, in 1950.
Palestine ranks 51st of 238 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Palestine, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 37.3% | — |
| 1951 | 37.9% | +1.6% |
| 1952 | 38.5% | +1.6% |
| 1953 | 39.2% | +1.6% |
| 1954 | 39.8% | +1.7% |
| 1955 | 40.5% | +1.7% |
| 1956 | 41.2% | +1.7% |
| 1957 | 41.9% | +1.7% |
| 1958 | 42.6% | +1.8% |
| 1959 | 43.4% | +1.8% |
| 1960 | 44.2% | +1.8% |
| 1961 | 45.0% | +1.8% |
| 1962 | 45.9% | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 46.9% | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 48.0% | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 49.1% | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 50.3% | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 51.5% | +2.4% |
| 1968 | 52.7% | +2.3% |
| 1969 | 53.9% | +2.3% |
| 1970 | 55.0% | +2.1% |
| 1971 | 56.1% | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 57.1% | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 58.1% | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 58.9% | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 59.6% | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 60.2% | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 60.7% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 61.2% | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 61.7% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 62.1% | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 62.4% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 62.8% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 63.1% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 63.4% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 63.7% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 64.1% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 64.4% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 64.7% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 65.0% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 65.3% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 65.7% | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 66.1% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 66.5% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 67.0% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 67.5% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 68.1% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 68.7% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 69.5% | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 70.6% | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 72.1% | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 73.7% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 75.5% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 77.3% | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 79.0% | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 80.5% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 81.8% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 82.6% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 83.1% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 83.5% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 83.9% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 84.2% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 84.5% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 84.8% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 85.0% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 85.2% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 85.3% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 85.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 85.5% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 85.8% | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 86.1% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 86.3% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 86.6% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 86.9% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 87.1% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 87.4% | +0.3% |
Palestine compared with similar countries
- Palestine's 87.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.9%, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Palestine's 87.4% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 79.5%, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 40.2% | 37.3% | 43.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 48.7% | 44.2% | 53.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 58.9% | 55.0% | 61.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 63.6% | 62.1% | 65.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 67.5% | 65.3% | 70.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.9% | 72.1% | 83.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 85.0% | 83.9% | 85.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.7% | 86.1% | 87.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Palestine
- 48 Libya 87.9% compare
- 49 Australia 87.7% compare
- 50 Belgium 87.7% compare
- 52 Western Sahara 86.9% compare
- 53 French Guiana 86.6% compare
- 54 United Arab Emirates 86.0% compare
More reference data data for Palestine
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0105 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1625 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.177 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.004 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.177 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0352 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0127 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6383 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.7088 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.022 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Palestine?
- Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Palestine was 87.4% 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 Palestine?
- The highest recorded value was 87.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Palestine?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.3% in 1950.
- How does Palestine rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
- Palestine ranks 51st out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
- Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Palestine?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Palestine 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
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About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modeled historical data.