Most urbanised
Several countries are functionally 100% urban — entire micro-states or city-states.
Headline finding
Singapore leads the world for most urbanised at 100% % urban population.
The full top 25: Most urbanised
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 Singapore 100%
- 2 Monaco 100%
- 3 Kuwait 100%
- 4 Vatican City 100%
- 5 Gibraltar 100%
- 6 Qatar 99.4%
- 7 Belgium 98.1%
- 8 Uruguay 95.7%
- 9 Malta 95.0%
- 10 Iceland 94.0%
- 11 Argentina 92.5%
- 12 Japan 92.0%
- 13 Jordan 91.5%
- 14 Israel 92.7%
- 15 Netherlands 92.6%
- 16 Luxembourg 91.8%
- 17 Australia 86.4%
- 18 Brazil 87.6%
- 19 United Arab Emirates 87.7%
- 20 Chile 88.0%
- 21 United States 83.3%
- 22 United Kingdom 84.4%
- 23 South Korea 81.4%
- 24 Spain 81.1%
- 25 Mexico 81.4%
What the numbers show
Singapore's lead at the top of this ranking is 0.0% above the second-place country — a margin tight enough that the top spot has changed hands within the last five years and could change again.
The five countries leading the table — Singapore, Monaco, Kuwait, Vatican City, Gibraltar — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with Mexico anchoring the list at 81.4%.
Figures are drawn from World Bank 2023. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- % urban population
- Source
- World Bank 2023
- Coverage
- Top 25 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for urbanised?
Singapore leads with 100% % urban population. Monaco is second at 100%, with Kuwait in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the urbanised ranking?
The figures come from World Bank 2023. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the urbanised figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.