Nicaragua vs Sri Lanka: Share of population living in cities
Nicaragua
34.9%
in 2020
Sri Lanka
35.1%
in 2020
Nicaragua rank
121st
Sri Lanka rank
119th
Share of population living in cities over time
- Nicaragua
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
Sri Lanka currently reports 35.1% against 34.9% in Nicaragua, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Sri Lanka ahead.
Nicaragua ranks 121st and Sri Lanka ranks 119th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Nicaragua averaged higher in 5 and Sri Lanka in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nicaragua | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.3% | 20.6% | 7.2% | Sri Lanka |
| 1960s | 17.3% | 22.4% | 5.1% | Sri Lanka |
| 1970s | 28.0% | 23.9% | 4.1% | Nicaragua |
| 1980s | 30.3% | 23.0% | 7.3% | Nicaragua |
| 1990s | 32.1% | 25.5% | 6.6% | Nicaragua |
| 2000s | 35.0% | 29.9% | 5.1% | Nicaragua |
| 2010s | 35.9% | 32.0% | 3.9% | Nicaragua |
| 2020s | 34.9% | 35.1% | 0.2% | Sri Lanka |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in cities, Nicaragua or Sri Lanka?
- Sri Lanka, at 35.1% against 34.9% in Nicaragua as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities between Nicaragua and Sri Lanka?
- 0.2%, with Sri Lanka ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nicaragua and Sri Lanka?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Nicaragua and Sri Lanka rank globally for share of population living in cities?
- Nicaragua ranks 121st and Sri Lanka ranks 119th 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.