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Data for 1989

Urban Population Share (National Definitions), 1989

1989, as UN DESA Population Division’s 2025 release gives it · stored as published, never rewritten

The share of a country's people living in places its own government classifies as urban. It is the familiar per-cent-urban figure and tracks one of the great shifts of the last century — but each country draws the line between town and countryside in its own way.

Urban Population Share (National Definitions), 1989 covers 222 countries. 10 countries share the highest reading, 100.0000; Rwanda is lowest, at 5.1999. The middle country reads 52.4399. Against 1988, 211 values changed (185 up, 26 down), the same countries are covered.

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Urban Population Share (National Definitions) · Data for 1989

Highest10 countries share it

100.0000

LowestRwanda

5.1999

Shaded by value in five groups of equal size, darkest at the highest end.

01Values only

The table

Every country and every column of Urban Population Share (National Definitions), 1989, as published. The file carries values only, so no position is shown. “=” marks a shared position.

Showing 25 of 222 countries · select a heading to sort

Urban Population Share (National Definitions), 1989: every country, as published by UN DESA Population Division.
AnguillaAIACaribbean100.0000
BermudaBMUNorthern America100.0000
Cayman IslandsCYMCaribbean100.0000
GibraltarGIBSouthern Europe100.0000
MonacoMCOWestern Europe100.0000
NauruNRUMicronesia100.0000
Saint MartinMAFCaribbean100.0000
SingaporeSGPSouth-eastern Asia100.0000
Sint MaartenSXMCaribbean100.0000
Vatican CityVATSouthern Europe100.0000
MacauMACEastern Asia99.5169
Hong KongHKGEastern Asia98.0057
KuwaitKWTWestern Asia97.9674
AndorraANDSouthern Europe95.3040
QatarQATWestern Asia92.3668
MaltaMLTSouthern Europe90.6600
GuamGUMMicronesia90.4855
San MarinoSMRSouthern Europe90.4420
IcelandISLNorthern Europe90.3974
IsraelISRWestern Asia90.3419
Northern Mariana IslandsMNPMicronesia89.6955
UruguayURYSouth America88.7248
BahrainBHRWestern Asia87.6126
ArgentinaARGSouth America86.5866
AustraliaAUSAustralia and New Zealand85.3836

02In 1989

At either end

The 5 countries at each end of the headline.

Highest

  1. Anguillashared100.0000
  2. Bermudashared100.0000
  3. Cayman Islandsshared100.0000
  4. Gibraltarshared100.0000
  5. Saint Martinshared100.0000

Lowest

  1. Rwanda5.1999
  2. Burundi6.0652
  3. Uganda9.4732
  4. Malawi11.2451
  5. South Sudan11.9071

Neither end is better. The values describe a shape, not a score. The middle country reads 52.4399. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.

031988 → 1989

Since 1988

  • +0 / −0countries joined / left
  • 211values changed, of 222 in both
  • 185 · 26rose · fell
  • 11unchanged

Rose most

Fell most

04Caveats

Read before you use

How values are stored

  • One year of the 2025 release

    Every year in this series comes from UN DESA Population Division’s 2025 release, recalculated on one method, so a change from one year to the next is not a revision. It can differ from what was first published for 1989.

  • 213 distinct values among 222

    Values are stored exactly as published, to 14 decimals. 10 countries share 100.0000. Countries sharing a value share a position too.

  • Nothing missing

    Every one of the 222 countries has every column.

05The files

Download and cite

Licence in full

What this site changed: Reshaped to one row per country, with its ISO code; no value recalculated, rescaled or rounded. In full

Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO · what it allows, in plain words

Cite this edition

UN DESA Population Division (1989). Urban Population Share (National Definitions), 1989 [data set], describing 1989. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/urban-population-share/1989

0676 held

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