South Korea vs Panama: Share of urban population who live in the largest city
South Korea
47.6%
in 2020
Panama
47.8%
in 2020
South Korea rank
32nd
Panama rank
30th
Share of urban population who live in the largest city over time
- South Korea
- Panama
How they compare
Panama currently reports 47.8% against 47.6% in South Korea, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Panama ahead.
South Korea ranks 32nd and Panama ranks 30th of 179 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 4 and Panama in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Panama | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 20.0% | 28.8% | 8.8% | Panama |
| 1960s | 24.5% | 31.2% | 6.8% | Panama |
| 1970s | 32.1% | 32.4% | 0.2% | Panama |
| 1980s | 39.4% | 33.0% | 6.4% | South Korea |
| 1990s | 44.5% | 37.8% | 6.7% | South Korea |
| 2000s | 46.1% | 44.9% | 1.2% | South Korea |
| 2010s | 46.7% | 45.1% | 1.6% | South Korea |
| 2020s | 47.6% | 47.8% | 0.2% | Panama |
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, South Korea or Panama?
- Panama, at 47.8% against 47.6% in South Korea as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of urban population who live in the largest city between South Korea and Panama?
- 0.2%, with Panama ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Panama?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do South Korea and Panama rank globally for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- South Korea ranks 32nd and Panama ranks 30th 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.