New Zealand vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of population living in urbanized areas
New Zealand
89.2%
in 2025
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
89.4%
in 2025
New Zealand rank
28th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
26th
Share of population living in urbanized areas over time
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 89.4% against 89.2% in New Zealand, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 106 shared years of data; in 1200 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
New Zealand ranks 28th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 26th of 202 countries.
Across the 38 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 36.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1200s | 0.0% | 2.2% | 2.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 2.2% | 2.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1400s | 0.0% | 2.5% | 2.5% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1500s | 0.1% | 2.1% | 2.0% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1600s | 0.3% | 2.1% | 1.8% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1700s | 1.0% | 2.1% | 1.1% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1710s | 3.2% | 6.3% | 3.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1720s | 5.3% | 10.5% | 5.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1730s | 7.5% | 14.8% | 7.3% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1740s | 9.7% | 19.0% | 9.3% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1750s | 11.8% | 23.2% | 11.4% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1760s | 14.0% | 24.3% | 10.3% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1770s | 16.2% | 25.4% | 9.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1780s | 18.3% | 26.5% | 8.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1790s | 20.5% | 27.6% | 7.1% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1800s | 22.7% | 28.7% | 6.0% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1810s | 24.8% | 32.1% | 7.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1820s | 27.0% | 35.4% | 8.4% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1830s | 29.2% | 38.8% | 9.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1840s | 31.3% | 42.1% | 10.8% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1850s | 33.5% | 45.5% | 12.0% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1860s | 35.7% | 48.8% | 13.1% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1870s | 37.8% | 52.2% | 14.3% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1880s | 40.0% | 55.5% | 15.5% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1890s | 44.6% | 58.9% | 14.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1900s | 49.3% | 62.2% | 12.9% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1910s | 53.9% | 65.6% | 11.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1920s | 58.6% | 68.9% | 10.3% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1930s | 63.2% | 72.3% | 9.0% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1940s | 67.9% | 75.6% | 7.8% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1950s | 73.7% | 78.8% | 5.1% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1960s | 78.5% | 77.9% | 0.6% | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 82.6% | 82.0% | 0.7% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 83.7% | 88.6% | 4.9% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1990s | 85.3% | 89.0% | 3.7% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2000s | 86.0% | 89.4% | 3.4% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2010s | 87.2% | 89.4% | 2.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2020s | 88.8% | 89.4% | 0.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urbanized areas, New Zealand or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 89.4% against 89.2% in New Zealand as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urbanized areas between New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 0.2%, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 106 years are reported by both, from 1200 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for share of population living in urbanized areas?
- New Zealand ranks 28th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 26th of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urbanized areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of population living in urban areas in a country over time.