Canada vs New Zealand: Share of population living in urban areas
Canada
82.9%
in 2025
New Zealand
84.0%
in 2025
Canada rank
61st
New Zealand rank
58th
Share of population living in urban areas over time
- Canada
- New Zealand
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 84.0% against 82.9% in Canada, a difference of 1.1%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 76 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Canada ahead.
Canada ranks 61st and New Zealand ranks 58th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 2 and New Zealand in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 65.5% | 56.0% | 9.5% | Canada |
| 1960s | 72.4% | 68.3% | 4.1% | Canada |
| 1970s | 75.8% | 82.4% | 6.6% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 76.2% | 83.8% | 7.6% | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 77.5% | 85.3% | 7.8% | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 79.8% | 85.9% | 6.1% | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 81.3% | 85.0% | 3.7% | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 82.4% | 83.9% | 1.5% | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban areas, Canada or New Zealand?
- New Zealand, at 84.0% against 82.9% in Canada as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas between Canada and New Zealand?
- 1.1%, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and New Zealand?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do Canada and New Zealand rank globally for share of population living in urban areas?
- Canada ranks 61st and New Zealand ranks 58th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.