North Korea vs Russian Federation: Share of urban population who live in the largest city
North Korea
12.7%
in 2020
Russian Federation
12.4%
in 2020
North Korea rank
153rd
Russian Federation rank
154th
Share of urban population who live in the largest city over time
- North Korea
- Russian Federation
How they compare
North Korea currently reports 12.7% against 12.4% in Russian Federation, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Russian Federation ahead.
North Korea ranks 153rd and Russian Federation ranks 154th of 179 countries.
North Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Russian Federation | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.7% | 7.4% | 0.3% | North Korea |
| 1960s | 8.1% | 7.5% | 0.6% | North Korea |
| 1970s | 9.4% | 8.1% | 1.3% | North Korea |
| 1980s | 13.2% | 8.5% | 4.6% | North Korea |
| 1990s | 14.4% | 8.8% | 5.6% | North Korea |
| 2000s | 13.4% | 10.1% | 3.2% | North Korea |
| 2010s | 12.8% | 11.6% | 1.2% | North Korea |
| 2020s | 12.7% | 12.4% | 0.3% | 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, North Korea or Russian Federation?
- North Korea, at 12.7% against 12.4% in Russian Federation as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of urban population who live in the largest city between North Korea and Russian Federation?
- 0.3%, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Russian Federation?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do North Korea and Russian Federation rank globally for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- North Korea ranks 153rd and Russian Federation ranks 154th 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.