South Korea vs United States: Urban population (% of total population)
South Korea
81.2%
in 2025
United States
80.2%
in 2025
South Korea rank
54th
United States rank
57th
Urban population (% of total population) over time
- South Korea
- United States
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 81.2% against 80.2% in United States, a difference of 1.0%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United States ahead.
South Korea ranks 54th and United States ranks 57th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 4 and United States in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.1% | 71.9% | 39.8% | United States |
| 1970s | 47.5% | 73.6% | 26.1% | United States |
| 1980s | 64.3% | 74.3% | 10.0% | United States |
| 1990s | 77.5% | 77.0% | 0.5% | South Korea |
| 2000s | 81.0% | 80.0% | 1.0% | South Korea |
| 2010s | 81.7% | 80.5% | 1.1% | South Korea |
| 2020s | 81.2% | 80.1% | 1.1% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, South Korea or United States?
- South Korea, at 81.2% against 80.2% in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between South Korea and United States?
- 1.0%, 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 urban population?
- South Korea ranks 54th and United States ranks 57th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
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.