Nicaragua vs United States: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas
Nicaragua
34.9%
in 2020
United States
34.4%
in 2020
Nicaragua rank
121st
United States rank
123rd
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas over time
- Nicaragua
- United States
How they compare
Nicaragua currently reports 34.9% against 34.4% in United States, a difference of 0.5%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was United States ahead.
Nicaragua ranks 121st and United States ranks 123rd of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Nicaragua averaged higher in 6 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nicaragua | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.3% | 18.2% | 4.8% | United States |
| 1960s | 17.3% | 19.8% | 2.5% | United States |
| 1970s | 28.0% | 20.7% | 7.3% | Nicaragua |
| 1980s | 30.3% | 21.1% | 9.3% | Nicaragua |
| 1990s | 32.1% | 23.4% | 8.7% | Nicaragua |
| 2000s | 35.0% | 26.8% | 8.2% | Nicaragua |
| 2010s | 35.9% | 30.5% | 5.5% | Nicaragua |
| 2020s | 34.9% | 34.4% | 0.5% | Nicaragua |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas, Nicaragua or United States?
- Nicaragua, at 34.9% against 34.4% in United States as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas between Nicaragua and United States?
- 0.5%, with Nicaragua ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nicaragua and United States?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Nicaragua and United States rank globally for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Nicaragua ranks 121st and United States ranks 123rd 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 Share of population 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 share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.