Kenya vs Viet Nam: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas
Kenya
12.88 million people
in 2020
Viet Nam
12.88 million people
in 2020
Kenya rank
27th
Viet Nam rank
26th
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas over time
- Kenya
- Viet Nam
How they compare
Viet Nam currently reports 12.88 million people against 12.88 million people in Kenya, a difference of 2,200 people.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Viet Nam ahead.
Kenya ranks 27th and Viet Nam ranks 26th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Kenya averaged higher in 1 and Viet Nam in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kenya | Viet Nam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.67 million people | 10.84 million people | 6.17 million people | Viet Nam |
| 1960s | 5.97 million people | 12.19 million people | 6.22 million people | Viet Nam |
| 1970s | 7.73 million people | 13.30 million people | 5.57 million people | Viet Nam |
| 1980s | 9.28 million people | 13.63 million people | 4.35 million people | Viet Nam |
| 1990s | 10.64 million people | 12.99 million people | 2.35 million people | Viet Nam |
| 2000s | 12.13 million people | 12.54 million people | 418,100 people | Viet Nam |
| 2010s | 12.95 million people | 12.64 million people | 318,400 people | Kenya |
| 2020s | 12.88 million people | 12.88 million people | 2,200 people | Viet Nam |
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, Kenya or Viet Nam?
- Viet Nam, at 12.88 million people against 12.88 million people in Kenya as of 2020.
- What is the difference in number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas between Kenya and Viet Nam?
- 2,200 people, with Viet Nam ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and Viet Nam?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Kenya and Viet Nam rank globally for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Kenya ranks 27th and Viet Nam ranks 26th 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.