South Korea vs United States: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million
South Korea
51.1%
in 2025
United States
47.0%
in 2025
South Korea rank
12th
United States rank
15th
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million over time
- South Korea
- United States
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 51.1% against 47.0% in United States, a difference of 4.1%.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United States ahead.
South Korea ranks 12th and United States ranks 15th of 121 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 5 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 25.4% | 39.8% | 14.4% | United States |
| 1970s | 37.1% | 41.3% | 4.2% | United States |
| 1980s | 46.9% | 41.6% | 5.3% | South Korea |
| 1990s | 51.7% | 42.8% | 9.0% | South Korea |
| 2000s | 50.9% | 44.0% | 6.8% | South Korea |
| 2010s | 50.1% | 45.3% | 4.8% | South Korea |
| 2020s | 50.7% | 46.8% | 3.9% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, South Korea or United States?
- South Korea, at 51.1% against 47.0% in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million between South Korea and United States?
- 4.1%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and United States rank globally for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- South Korea ranks 12th and United States ranks 15th of 121 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the percentage of a country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.