Urban Population - Percent of Total Population

Percentage of total population residing in urban areas. 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. National definitions are most commonly based on size of locality. Population which is not urban is considered rural. The annual series of the percentage of the urban population have been derived through interpolation of the quinquennial series prepared by the UN (World Urbanization Prospects: The 2005 Revision).