China vs Maldives: Share of population living in cities
China
43.5%
in 2020
Maldives
44.2%
in 2020
China rank
87th
Maldives rank
85th
Share of population living in cities over time
- China
- Maldives
How they compare
Maldives currently reports 44.2% against 43.5% in China, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was China ahead.
China ranks 87th and Maldives ranks 85th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, China averaged higher in 7 and Maldives in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Maldives | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.8% | 0.0% | 12.8% | China |
| 1960s | 17.5% | 0.0% | 17.5% | China |
| 1970s | 23.0% | 0.0% | 23.0% | China |
| 1980s | 26.1% | 13.4% | 12.7% | China |
| 1990s | 30.5% | 27.1% | 3.4% | China |
| 2000s | 38.0% | 30.7% | 7.2% | China |
| 2010s | 41.1% | 35.5% | 5.6% | China |
| 2020s | 43.5% | 44.2% | 0.7% | Maldives |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in cities, China or Maldives?
- Maldives, at 44.2% against 43.5% in China as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities between China and Maldives?
- 0.7%, with Maldives ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Maldives?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do China and Maldives rank globally for share of population living in cities?
- China ranks 87th and Maldives ranks 85th 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.