New Zealand vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
New Zealand
84.0%
in 2025
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
83.3%
in 2025
New Zealand rank
58th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
60th
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 84.0% against 83.3% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 76 shared years of data; in 1950 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
New Zealand ranks 58th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 60th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 6 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 56.0% | 79.7% | 23.7% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1960s | 68.3% | 77.7% | 9.4% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1970s | 82.4% | 77.5% | 4.8% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 83.8% | 78.4% | 5.4% | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 85.3% | 78.7% | 6.6% | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 85.9% | 80.4% | 5.5% | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 85.0% | 81.8% | 3.3% | 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- New Zealand, at 84.0% against 83.3% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 0.7%, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- New Zealand ranks 58th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 60th 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.