Data for 2003
Urban Population Share (National Definitions), 2003
2003, 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), 2003 covers 222 countries. 12 countries share the highest reading, 100.000; Burundi is lowest, at 8.676. The middle country reads 56.732. Against 2002, 209 values changed (170 up, 39 down), the same countries are covered.
Urban Population Share (National Definitions) · Data for 2003
Highest12 countries share it
100.000LowestBurundi
8.676Shaded 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), 2003, 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
AIACaribbean | 100.000 |
BMUNorthern America | 100.000 |
CYMCaribbean | 100.000 |
GIBSouthern Europe | 100.000 |
HKGEastern Asia | 100.000 |
MACEastern Asia | 100.000 |
MCOWestern Europe | 100.000 |
NRUMicronesia | 100.000 |
MAFCaribbean | 100.000 |
SGPSouth-eastern Asia | 100.000 |
SXMCaribbean | 100.000 |
VATSouthern Europe | 100.000 |
KWTWestern Asia | 99.766 |
QATWestern Asia | 96.831 |
PRICaribbean | 94.245 |
SMRSouthern Europe | 94.000 |
GUMMicronesia | 93.550 |
MLTSouthern Europe | 93.524 |
VIRCaribbean | 93.477 |
ISLNorthern Europe | 92.324 |
URYSouth America | 91.626 |
ISRWestern Asia | 91.518 |
CUWCaribbean | 91.128 |
ANDSouthern Europe | 90.989 |
MNPMicronesia | 90.424 |
ARGSouth America | 89.752 |
BHRWestern Asia | 88.833 |
VENSouth America | 88.522 |
ASMPolynesia | 88.257 |
LBYNorthern Africa | 87.866 |
CHLSouth America | 86.679 |
TCACaribbean | 86.672 |
LBNWestern Asia | 86.448 |
NZLAustralia and New Zealand | 85.858 |
LUXWestern Europe | 85.591 |
DNKNorthern Europe | 85.420 |
AUSAustralia and New Zealand | 85.410 |
SWENorthern Europe | 84.195 |
BELWestern Europe | 82.961 |
JPNEastern Asia | 82.421 |
BRASouth America | 82.354 |
GRLNorthern America | 82.349 |
GABMiddle Africa | 81.997 |
BHSCaribbean | 81.482 |
NLDWestern Europe | 81.301 |
AREWestern Asia | 80.849 |
KOREastern Asia | 80.708 |
SAUWestern Asia | 80.541 |
GBRNorthern Europe | 80.233 |
DEUWestern Europe | 80.137 |
USANorthern America | 79.777 |
CANNorthern America | 79.391 |
JORWestern Asia | 78.307 |
TWNEastern Asia | 77.836 |
FRAWestern Europe | 77.469 |
PSEWestern Asia | 77.287 |
NORNorthern Europe | 77.260 |
ESPSouthern Europe | 76.709 |
MEXCentral America | 76.046 |
CUBCaribbean | 75.864 |
COLSouth America | 75.534 |
PLWMicronesia | 74.544 |
PERSouth America | 73.956 |
CZEEastern Europe | 73.765 |
CHEWestern Europe | 73.452 |
GRCSouthern Europe | 73.432 |
RUSEastern Europe | 73.406 |
BRNSouth-eastern Asia | 72.578 |
DJIEastern Africa | 72.030 |
OMNWestern Asia | 71.493 |
BLREastern Europe | 71.309 |
BGREastern Europe | 69.781 |
MHLMicronesia | 69.523 |
COKPolynesia | 69.491 |
CYPWestern Asia | 68.712 |
IRQWestern Asia | 68.052 |
FINNorthern Europe | 68.043 |
LVANorthern Europe | 67.949 |
ESTNorthern Europe | 67.434 |
ITASouthern Europe | 67.430 |
UKREastern Europe | 67.420 |
AUTWestern Europe | 66.926 |
LTUNorthern Europe | 66.760 |
SURSouth America | 66.740 |
IRNSouthern Asia | 66.605 |
DMACaribbean | 65.724 |
ABWCaribbean | 65.198 |
MYSSouth-eastern Asia | 65.075 |
HUNEastern Europe | 64.845 |
ARMWestern Asia | 64.666 |
TUNNorthern Africa | 64.606 |
DOMCaribbean | 64.426 |
PANCentral America | 63.408 |
BOLSouth America | 63.292 |
NCLMelanesia | 62.854 |
CRICentral America | 62.452 |
DZANorthern Africa | 62.143 |
POLEastern Europe | 61.728 |
MNESouthern Europe | 61.699 |
TURWestern Asia | 61.585 |
BRBCaribbean | 61.554 |
ECUSouth America | 61.542 |
COGMiddle Africa | 60.469 |
IRLNorthern Europe | 59.912 |
PRKEastern Asia | 59.606 |
MNGEastern Asia | 59.355 |
SLVCentral America | 59.247 |
PRYSouth America | 58.552 |
ZAFSouthern Africa | 58.372 |
MKDSouthern Europe | 57.850 |
SRBSouthern Europe | 56.878 |
PRTSouthern Europe | 56.587 |
STPMiddle Africa | 56.413 |
CPVWestern Africa | 56.330 |
BWASouthern Africa | 56.098 |
PYFPolynesia | 55.928 |
SVKEastern Europe | 55.739 |
TTOCaribbean | 55.719 |
HRVSouthern Europe | 55.639 |
NICCentral America | 55.631 |
KAZCentral Asia | 55.212 |
MARNorthern Africa | 54.578 |
AGOMiddle Africa | 54.004 |
SYRWestern Asia | 53.102 |
ROUEastern Europe | 52.802 |
GEOWestern Asia | 52.514 |
JAMCaribbean | 52.356 |
AZEWestern Asia | 51.726 |
IMNNorthern Europe | 51.539 |
SVNSouthern Europe | 50.755 |
GMBWestern Africa | 50.601 |
UZBCentral Asia | 49.957 |
FJIMelanesia | 49.126 |
CMRMiddle Africa | 47.733 |
TUVPolynesia | 47.499 |
BLZCentral America | 47.281 |
HNDCentral America | 46.990 |
TKMCentral Asia | 46.700 |
GTMCentral America | 46.587 |
GHAWestern Africa | 46.055 |
NGAWestern Africa | 45.837 |
VCTCaribbean | 45.236 |
LBRWestern Africa | 45.000 |
IDNSouth-eastern Asia | 44.630 |
CIVWestern Africa | 44.259 |
ALBSouthern Europe | 44.030 |
BIHSouthern Europe | 43.518 |
KIRMicronesia | 43.511 |
SYCEastern Africa | 43.005 |
EGYNorthern Africa | 42.883 |
VGBCaribbean | 42.853 |
MUSEastern Africa | 41.513 |
SENWestern Africa | 41.359 |
HTICaribbean | 41.201 |
CHNEastern Asia | 40.530 |
PHLSouth-eastern Asia | 40.393 |
GNQMiddle Africa | 39.896 |
MDAEastern Europe | 39.595 |
BENWestern Africa | 39.417 |
MRTWestern Africa | 38.887 |
NPLSouthern Asia | 38.045 |
CAFMiddle Africa | 37.886 |
GNBWestern Africa | 37.777 |
XKXSouthern Europe | 37.562 |
CODMiddle Africa | 36.465 |
ZMBEastern Africa | 36.386 |
SLEWestern Africa | 36.269 |
FRONorthern Europe | 36.128 |
GRDCaribbean | 35.919 |
THASouth-eastern Asia | 35.427 |
KGZCentral Asia | 35.309 |
ERIEastern Africa | 34.745 |
NIUPolynesia | 34.588 |
NAMSouthern Africa | 34.546 |
SOMEastern Africa | 34.472 |
TGOWestern Africa | 34.451 |
PAKSouthern Asia | 33.567 |
ZWEEastern Africa | 32.600 |
SDNNorthern Africa | 32.427 |
KNACaribbean | 32.281 |
GINWestern Africa | 31.809 |
MDVSouthern Asia | 31.391 |
ATGCaribbean | 30.600 |
MOZEastern Africa | 29.715 |
BTNSouthern Asia | 29.633 |
INDSouthern Asia | 28.466 |
GUYSouth America | 28.308 |
MMRSouth-eastern Asia | 28.057 |
YEMWestern Asia | 28.028 |
COMEastern Africa | 27.945 |
TJKCentral Asia | 26.533 |
VNMSouth-eastern Asia | 26.175 |
LCACaribbean | 26.012 |
MDGEastern Africa | 25.897 |
LAOSouth-eastern Asia | 25.595 |
TLSSouth-eastern Asia | 25.261 |
BGDSouthern Asia | 24.553 |
KENEastern Africa | 23.564 |
TZAEastern Africa | 23.520 |
TONPolynesia | 23.094 |
VUTMelanesia | 22.464 |
SWZSouthern Africa | 22.431 |
FSMMicronesia | 22.330 |
WSMPolynesia | 21.781 |
TCDMiddle Africa | 21.721 |
LSOSouthern Africa | 21.123 |
BFAWestern Africa | 20.563 |
MLIWestern Africa | 20.059 |
AFGSouthern Asia | 19.160 |
KHMSouth-eastern Asia | 18.888 |
RWAEastern Africa | 16.895 |
SLBMelanesia | 16.773 |
SSDEastern Africa | 16.615 |
NERWestern Africa | 16.269 |
ETHEastern Africa | 15.544 |
MWIEastern Africa | 14.955 |
LIEWestern Europe | 14.729 |
LKASouthern Asia | 14.726 |
PNGMelanesia | 13.123 |
UGAEastern Africa | 12.590 |
MSRCaribbean | 9.477 |
BDIEastern Africa | 8.676 |
02In 2003
At either end
The 5 countries at each end of the headline.
Highest
Anguillashared100.000
Bermudashared100.000
Cayman Islandsshared100.000
Gibraltarshared100.000
Hong Kongshared100.000
Lowest
Burundi8.676
Montserrat9.477
Uganda12.590
Papua New Guinea13.123
Sri Lanka14.726
Neither end is better. The values describe a shape, not a score. The middle country reads 56.732. “Shared” marks a value another country also holds.
032002 → 2003
Since 2002
- +0 / −0countries joined / left
- 209values changed, of 222 in both
- 170 · 39rose · fell
- 13unchanged
Rose most
Fell most
Saint Lucia26.938 → 26.012−0.926
Antigua and Barbuda31.228 → 30.600−0.628
Andorra91.461 → 90.989−0.472
Djibouti72.450 → 72.030−0.420
Barbados61.966 → 61.554−0.411
04Caveats
Read before you use
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 2003.
211 distinct values among 222
Values are stored exactly as published, to 14 decimals. 12 countries share 100.000. Countries sharing a value share a position too.
Nothing missing
Every one of the 222 countries has every column.
05The files
Download and cite
- .csv
For a spreadsheet or code
222 rows · 8.5 KB · UTF-8, opens in Excel
Opens with 11 lines of source notes; the table starts on row 13.
Download urban-population-share-2003-nations-inquiry.csv - ↗
The publisher’s original
UN DESA Population Division’s own file, on its own site.
WUP2025-F15-National-Definitions_percPop_by_category.xlsx
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 (2003). Urban Population Share (National Definitions), 2003 [data set], describing 2003. As held by Nations Inquiry, https://nationsinquiry.com/datasets/urban-population-share/2003
0676 held
Other years
‹ The year before
Urban Population Share (National Definitions), 2002222 countries
The year after ›
Urban Population Share (National Definitions), 2004222 countries
All of them
Urban Population Share (National Definitions): every year76 held, with the data dictionary, coverage and licence.
How it has moved, charted by country