Urban population share in Sweden

89.1% of people in Sweden lived in urban areas in 2025. The value for 2025 is the highest in the series, which starts in 1960.

Measure: Urban population share Unit: % of total population Data: 1960 to 2025 Source: World Bank
Sweden, 2025 89.1% % of total population
Change from 2024 +0.2percentage points 2024: 88.9%
European Union, 2025 75.2% Official aggregate
Median of European Union (27 countries), 2025 70.7% Middle value of 27 countries
Position in 2025 35th of 217 See the full ranking

Urban population share in Sweden over time

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Sweden European Union ×

% of total population. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.

Urban population share (% of total population), 2001 to 2025
Period SwedenEuropean Union
2025 89.1% 75.2%
2024 88.9% 75.0%
2023 88.6% 74.9%
2022 88.4% 74.8%
2021 88.2% 74.6%
2020 87.9% 74.5%
2019 87.7% 74.5%
2018 87.5% 74.3%
2017 87.2% 74.2%
2016 87.0% 74.1%
2015 86.6% 73.9%
2014 86.3% 73.7%
2013 85.9% 73.5%
2012 85.6% 73.4%
2011 85.4% 73.2%
2010 85.1% 73.1%
2009 84.9% 72.9%
2008 84.8% 72.8%
2007 84.6% 72.7%
2006 84.5% 72.6%
2005 84.3% 72.4%
2004 84.3% 72.2%
2003 84.2% 72.1%
2002 84.1% 71.9%
2001 84.1% 71.8%

A dash means no value was published for that period.

In short

  • That is a change of +0.2 percentage points from 88.9% in 2024.
  • Since 2015, when it was 86.6%, the figure has changed by +2.5 percentage points.
  • Among the 217 countries with data for 2025, Sweden has the 35th highest value.
  • The figure for the European Union in 2025 was 75.2%.

Source and dates

Original producer
United Nations Population Division, World Urbanization Prospects
Distributed by
World Bank, World Development Indicators
Dataset or series code
SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS · dataset details · view at source
Observation period
1960 to 2025 for Sweden
Provider update
8 October 2026
Retrieved
9 November 2026
Published here
9 November 2026
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (per series metadata)
Attribution
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators, original data: United Nations Population Division, World Urbanization Prospects