Urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Urban population was 56.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 56.0%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 56.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 29.7%, in 1960.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.4% | 29.7% | 35.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 38.2% | 35.6% | 40.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 43.7% | 41.3% | 45.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 47.2% | 46.0% | 48.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.0% | 48.7% | 51.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.2% | 51.5% | 54.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.3% | 54.7% | 56.0% | 6 |
More climate change data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Population growth 1.8% (2025)
- Population, total 828.02 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 2.3% (2025)
- Urban population 463.33 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 22.8% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 491.71 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 148.3% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 8.7% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 7.8% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 4.3% (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Urban population in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 56.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 56.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.7% in 1960.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.