Hong Kong, China vs Singapore: Share of population living in cities
Hong Kong, China
96.4%
in 2020
Singapore
99.7%
in 2020
Hong Kong, China rank
6th
Singapore rank
4th
Share of population living in cities over time
- Hong Kong, China
- Singapore
How they compare
Singapore currently reports 99.7% against 96.4% in Hong Kong, China, a difference of 3.3%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Hong Kong, China ahead.
Hong Kong, China ranks 6th and Singapore ranks 4th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Hong Kong, China averaged higher in 1 and Singapore in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Hong Kong, China | Singapore | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 88.2% | 86.5% | 1.7% | Hong Kong, China |
| 1960s | 89.6% | 93.5% | 3.9% | Singapore |
| 1970s | 93.9% | 96.1% | 2.2% | Singapore |
| 1980s | 93.9% | 98.6% | 4.7% | Singapore |
| 1990s | 94.8% | 99.5% | 4.6% | Singapore |
| 2000s | 95.9% | 99.7% | 3.8% | Singapore |
| 2010s | 96.4% | 99.8% | 3.4% | Singapore |
| 2020s | 96.4% | 99.7% | 3.4% | Singapore |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in cities, Hong Kong, China or Singapore?
- Singapore, at 99.7% against 96.4% in Hong Kong, China as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities between Hong Kong, China and Singapore?
- 3.3%, with Singapore ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Hong Kong, China and Singapore?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Hong Kong, China and Singapore rank globally for share of population living in cities?
- Hong Kong, China ranks 6th and Singapore ranks 4th 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.