Canada vs China: Share of population living in the capital city
Canada
1.5%
in 2020
China
1.2%
in 2020
Canada rank
163rd
China rank
165th
Share of population living in the capital city over time
- Canada
- China
How they compare
Canada currently reports 1.5% against 1.2% in China, a difference of 0.3%.
That makes Canada's figure about 1.3 times China's.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Canada has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 163rd and China ranks 165th of 170 countries.
Canada has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 0.4% | Canada |
| 1960s | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.4% | Canada |
| 1970s | 1.2% | 0.6% | 0.6% | Canada |
| 1980s | 1.3% | 0.6% | 0.8% | Canada |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 0.6% | 0.8% | Canada |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 0.8% | 0.6% | Canada |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.1% | 0.4% | Canada |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 0.4% | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in the capital city, Canada or China?
- Canada, at 1.5% against 1.2% in China as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in the capital city between Canada and China?
- 0.3%, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and China?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Canada and China rank globally for share of population living in the capital city?
- Canada ranks 163rd 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.
Individual pages
About this data
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.