Germany vs Italy: Share of urban population who live in the largest city

Germany
5.8%
in 2020
Italy
6.1%
in 2020
Germany rank
176th
Italy rank
175th

Share of urban population who live in the largest city over time

  • Germany
  • Italy
0246195019852020

How they compare

Italy currently reports 6.1% against 5.8% in Germany, a difference of 0.3%.

That makes Italy's figure about 1.1 times Germany's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Germany ahead.

Germany ranks 176th and Italy ranks 175th of 179 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 1 and Italy in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany Italy Difference Ahead
1950s 6.2% 5.8% 0.3% Germany
1960s 5.8% 6.3% 0.4% Italy
1970s 5.5% 6.3% 0.8% Italy
1980s 5.3% 6.5% 1.2% Italy
1990s 5.8% 6.6% 0.8% Italy
2000s 5.6% 6.5% 0.9% Italy
2010s 5.6% 6.2% 0.5% Italy
2020s 5.8% 6.1% 0.3% Italy

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, Germany or Italy?
Italy, at 6.1% against 5.8% in Germany as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of urban population who live in the largest city between Germany and Italy?
0.3%, with Italy ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Italy?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Germany and Italy rank globally for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Germany ranks 176th and Italy ranks 175th 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

Indicator
Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,452 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

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.