Kuwait: Urban population (% of total population)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Kuwait's urban population (% of total population) did not change 0 percentage points on 2024 (from 100% to 100%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.18 percentage points in 1973. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Kuwait had the 1st highest value of the 217 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Kuwait in the 2025 ranking

• Cayman Islands — 3rd of 217: 100%
• Gibraltar — 4th of 217: 100%
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 5th of 217: 100%
• Macao SAR, China — 7th of 217: 100%
• Monaco — 8th of 217: 100%
• Naoero — 9th of 217: 100%

What this measures

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.

Limitations: Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverage. Most countries use an urban classification related to the size or characteristics of settlements. Some define urban areas based on the presence of certain infrastructure and services. And other countries designate urban areas based on administrative arrangements. Because of national differences in the characteristics that distinguish urban from rural areas, the distinction between urban and rural population is not amenable to a single definition that would be applicable to all countries.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 66 values

Urban population (% of total population) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 25.94% (2025)
• Algeria — 75.82% (2025)
• Bahrain — 100% (2025)
• Djibouti — 72.98% (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 42.9% (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 77.38% (2025)
• Iraq — 69.94% (2025)
• Israel — 91.58% (2025)
• Jordan — 93.21% (2025)
• Lebanon — 90.96% (2025)

More environment data for Kuwait

• Population in largest city — 3.41 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 69.99% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 3.41 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 69.99% (2025)
• Rural population — 0 (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 0% (2025)
• Urban population — 4.87 million (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 461.24 (2024)
• Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 2,451 (2024)
• Total fisheries production (metric tons)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Kuwait's urban population (% of total population)?

100% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 24.6 percentage points from 75.4% in 1960. The highest value was 100% in 2005 and the lowest 75.4% in 1960.

How does Kuwait rank?

1st highest of 217 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in urban population (% of total population) unusual for Kuwait?

In 2025, Kuwait's urban population (% of total population) did not change 0 percentage points on 2024 (from 100% to 100%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.1 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), uri: https://population.un.org/wup/, note: United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects, National definitions, publisher: UN Population Division Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.