South Korea vs Taiwan: Share of population living in cities
South Korea
75.4%
in 2020
Taiwan
77.9%
in 2020
South Korea rank
14th
Taiwan rank
13th
Share of population living in cities over time
- South Korea
- Taiwan
How they compare
Taiwan currently reports 77.9% against 75.4% in South Korea, a difference of 2.5%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Taiwan ahead.
South Korea ranks 14th and Taiwan ranks 13th of 236 countries.
Taiwan has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Taiwan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 35.5% | 43.1% | 7.6% | Taiwan |
| 1960s | 45.2% | 51.7% | 6.5% | Taiwan |
| 1970s | 60.4% | 60.6% | 0.2% | Taiwan |
| 1980s | 67.5% | 68.7% | 1.2% | Taiwan |
| 1990s | 72.2% | 73.8% | 1.6% | Taiwan |
| 2000s | 74.4% | 75.6% | 1.2% | Taiwan |
| 2010s | 75.2% | 77.0% | 1.8% | Taiwan |
| 2020s | 75.4% | 77.9% | 2.5% | Taiwan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in cities, South Korea or Taiwan?
- Taiwan, at 77.9% against 75.4% in South Korea as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities between South Korea and Taiwan?
- 2.5%, with Taiwan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Taiwan?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do South Korea and Taiwan rank globally for share of population living in cities?
- South Korea ranks 14th and Taiwan ranks 13th 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.