Brazil vs China: Share of population living in the capital city

Brazil
0.7%
in 2020
China
1.2%
in 2020
Brazil rank
168th
China rank
165th

Share of population living in the capital city over time

  • Brazil
  • China
00.250.50.7511.2195019852020

How they compare

China currently reports 1.2% against 0.7% in Brazil, a difference of 0.5%.

That makes China's figure about 1.7 times Brazil's.

Across all 12 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

Brazil ranks 168th and China ranks 165th of 170 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Brazil China Difference Ahead
1960s 0.1% 0.6% 0.6% China
1970s 0.1% 0.6% 0.5% China
1980s 0.2% 0.6% 0.3% China
1990s 0.4% 0.6% 0.2% China
2000s 0.5% 0.8% 0.3% China
2010s 0.6% 1.1% 0.5% China
2020s 0.7% 1.2% 0.5% China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in the capital city, Brazil or China?
China, at 1.2% against 0.7% in Brazil as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in the capital city between Brazil and China?
0.5%, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and China?
12 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2020.
How do Brazil and China rank globally for share of population living in the capital city?
Brazil ranks 168th and China ranks 165th of 170 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 population living in the capital city. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Brazil vs China: Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-population-living-in-the-capital-city/brazil/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in the capital city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
170 places, 2,330 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.