China vs Kazakhstan: Share of population living in cities
China
43.5%
in 2020
Kazakhstan
43.9%
in 2020
China rank
87th
Kazakhstan rank
86th
Share of population living in cities over time
- China
- Kazakhstan
How they compare
Kazakhstan currently reports 43.9% against 43.5% in China, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Kazakhstan ahead.
China ranks 87th and Kazakhstan ranks 86th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Kazakhstan in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Kazakhstan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.8% | 21.1% | 8.2% | Kazakhstan |
| 1960s | 17.5% | 25.2% | 7.7% | Kazakhstan |
| 1970s | 23.0% | 29.5% | 6.5% | Kazakhstan |
| 1980s | 26.1% | 31.0% | 4.9% | Kazakhstan |
| 1990s | 30.5% | 30.9% | 0.4% | Kazakhstan |
| 2000s | 38.0% | 33.6% | 4.4% | China |
| 2010s | 41.1% | 39.3% | 1.7% | China |
| 2020s | 43.5% | 43.9% | 0.4% | Kazakhstan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in cities, China or Kazakhstan?
- Kazakhstan, at 43.9% against 43.5% in China as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities between China and Kazakhstan?
- 0.4%, with Kazakhstan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Kazakhstan?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do China and Kazakhstan rank globally for share of population living in cities?
- China ranks 87th and Kazakhstan ranks 86th 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.