China vs India: Urban population
China
933.17 million
in 2025
India
522.44 million
in 2025
China rank
1st
India rank
2nd
Urban population over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 933.17 million against 522.44 million in India, a difference of 410.73 million.
That makes China's figure about 1.8 times India's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 218 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 128.67 million | 90.29 million | 38.38 million | China |
| 1970s | 158.32 million | 129.75 million | 28.57 million | China |
| 1980s | 242.08 million | 187.82 million | 54.26 million | China |
| 1990s | 356.03 million | 252.15 million | 103.88 million | China |
| 2000s | 551.55 million | 332.11 million | 219.44 million | China |
| 2010s | 777.67 million | 427.44 million | 350.23 million | China |
| 2020s | 919.59 million | 500.21 million | 419.38 million | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, China or India?
- China, at 933.17 million against 522.44 million in India as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between China and India?
- 410.73 million, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do China and India rank globally for urban population?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.