Canada vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas
Canada
9.07 million people
in 2020
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
9.40 million people
in 2020
Canada rank
39th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
37th
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas over time
- Canada
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 9.40 million people against 9.07 million people in Canada, a difference of 331,340 people.
Across all 15 years both countries report, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 39th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 37th of 236 countries.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.84 million people | 8.01 million people | 2.17 million people | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1960s | 6.61 million people | 8.24 million people | 1.64 million people | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1970s | 7.22 million people | 8.45 million people | 1.23 million people | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1980s | 7.71 million people | 8.65 million people | 943,590 people | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1990s | 8.08 million people | 8.78 million people | 698,060 people | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2000s | 8.37 million people | 8.93 million people | 565,055 people | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2010s | 8.66 million people | 9.26 million people | 596,520 people | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2020s | 9.07 million people | 9.40 million people | 331,340 people | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas, Canada or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 9.40 million people against 9.07 million people in Canada as of 2020.
- What is the difference in number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas between Canada and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 331,340 people, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Canada and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Canada ranks 39th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 37th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.