Brazil vs Mexico: Share of population living in cities
Brazil
53.9%
in 2020
Mexico
53.6%
in 2020
Brazil rank
46th
Mexico rank
47th
Share of population living in cities over time
- Brazil
- Mexico
How they compare
Brazil currently reports 53.9% against 53.6% in Mexico, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Mexico ahead.
Brazil ranks 46th and Mexico ranks 47th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 1 and Mexico in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | Mexico | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 18.1% | 24.3% | 6.2% | Mexico |
| 1960s | 23.7% | 30.2% | 6.4% | Mexico |
| 1970s | 30.6% | 36.7% | 6.2% | Mexico |
| 1980s | 39.3% | 45.3% | 6.0% | Mexico |
| 1990s | 45.6% | 52.3% | 6.7% | Mexico |
| 2000s | 49.9% | 54.4% | 4.5% | Mexico |
| 2010s | 52.6% | 55.4% | 2.9% | Mexico |
| 2020s | 53.9% | 53.6% | 0.2% | Brazil |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in cities, Brazil or Mexico?
- Brazil, at 53.9% against 53.6% in Mexico as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities between Brazil and Mexico?
- 0.3%, with Brazil ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and Mexico?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Brazil and Mexico rank globally for share of population living in cities?
- Brazil ranks 46th and Mexico ranks 47th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in cities. 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.