Costa Rica vs United Arab Emirates: Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Costa Rica
56.6%
in 2020
United Arab Emirates
51.9%
in 2020
Costa Rica rank
19th
United Arab Emirates rank
22nd
Share of urban population who live in the largest city over time
- Costa Rica
- United Arab Emirates
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 56.6% against 51.9% in United Arab Emirates, a difference of 4.7%.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.1 times United Arab Emirates's.
Across all 9 years both countries report, Costa Rica has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 19th and United Arab Emirates ranks 22nd of 179 countries.
Costa Rica has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | United Arab Emirates | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 45.8% | 26.1% | 19.7% | Costa Rica |
| 1990s | 51.3% | 36.1% | 15.2% | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 54.9% | 47.4% | 7.6% | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 54.5% | 42.1% | 12.4% | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 56.6% | 51.9% | 4.8% | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of urban population who live in the largest city, Costa Rica or United Arab Emirates?
- Costa Rica, at 56.6% against 51.9% in United Arab Emirates as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of urban population who live in the largest city between Costa Rica and United Arab Emirates?
- 4.7%, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United Arab Emirates?
- 9 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2020.
- How do Costa Rica and United Arab Emirates rank globally for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Costa Rica ranks 19th and United Arab Emirates ranks 22nd of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.