Iran vs North Korea: Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Iran
12.0%
in 2020
North Korea
12.7%
in 2020
Iran rank
155th
North Korea rank
153rd
Share of urban population who live in the largest city over time
- Iran
- North Korea
How they compare
North Korea currently reports 12.7% against 12.0% in Iran, a difference of 0.7%.
That makes North Korea's figure about 1.1 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Iran ahead.
Iran ranks 155th and North Korea ranks 153rd of 179 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 4 and North Korea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | North Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.8% | 7.7% | 5.1% | Iran |
| 1960s | 14.8% | 8.1% | 6.8% | Iran |
| 1970s | 16.8% | 9.4% | 7.4% | Iran |
| 1980s | 16.5% | 13.2% | 3.3% | Iran |
| 1990s | 14.1% | 14.4% | 0.3% | North Korea |
| 2000s | 12.6% | 13.4% | 0.7% | North Korea |
| 2010s | 11.8% | 12.8% | 1.0% | North Korea |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 12.7% | 0.7% | North Korea |
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, Iran or North Korea?
- North Korea, at 12.7% against 12.0% in Iran as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of urban population who live in the largest city between Iran and North Korea?
- 0.7%, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and North Korea?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Iran and North Korea rank globally for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Iran ranks 155th and North Korea ranks 153rd of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) β 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.