China vs Pakistan: Share of population living in the capital city
China
1.2%
in 2020
Pakistan
1.9%
in 2020
China rank
165th
Pakistan rank
162nd
Share of population living in the capital city over time
- China
- Pakistan
How they compare
Pakistan currently reports 1.9% against 1.2% in China, a difference of 0.7%.
That makes Pakistan's figure about 1.7 times China's.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Pakistan has been ahead every year.
China ranks 165th and Pakistan ranks 162nd of 170 countries.
Pakistan has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Pakistan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.4% | 0.8% | 0.4% | Pakistan |
| 1960s | 0.6% | 1.0% | 0.3% | Pakistan |
| 1970s | 0.6% | 1.1% | 0.6% | Pakistan |
| 1980s | 0.6% | 1.3% | 0.7% | Pakistan |
| 1990s | 0.6% | 1.5% | 0.9% | Pakistan |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 1.7% | 0.9% | Pakistan |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.9% | 0.8% | Pakistan |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.9% | 0.8% | Pakistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in the capital city, China or Pakistan?
- Pakistan, at 1.9% against 1.2% in China as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in the capital city between China and Pakistan?
- 0.7%, with Pakistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Pakistan?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do China and Pakistan rank globally for share of population living in the capital city?
- China ranks 165th and Pakistan ranks 162nd 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.