New Zealand vs Norway: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
New Zealand
84.0%
in 2025
Norway
83.6%
in 2025
New Zealand rank
58th
Norway rank
59th
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- New Zealand
- Norway
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 84.0% against 83.6% in Norway, a difference of 0.4%.
Across all 76 years both countries report, New Zealand has been ahead every year.
New Zealand ranks 58th and Norway ranks 59th of 236 countries.
New Zealand has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | Norway | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 56.0% | 48.2% | 7.8% | New Zealand |
| 1960s | 68.3% | 55.5% | 12.9% | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 82.4% | 68.4% | 14.0% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 83.8% | 71.2% | 12.6% | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 85.3% | 73.8% | 11.5% | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 85.9% | 77.6% | 8.2% | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 85.0% | 80.8% | 4.2% | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 83.9% | 83.1% | 0.8% | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban and rural areas, New Zealand or Norway?
- New Zealand, at 84.0% against 83.6% in Norway as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between New Zealand and Norway?
- 0.4%, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and Norway?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and Norway rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- New Zealand ranks 58th and Norway ranks 59th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.