China vs Nepal: Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050
China
66.3%
in 2025
Nepal
67.0%
in 2025
China rank
117th
Nepal rank
115th
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 over time
- China
- Nepal
How they compare
Nepal currently reports 67.0% against 66.3% in China, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was China ahead.
China ranks 117th and Nepal ranks 115th of 238 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, China averaged higher in 37 and Nepal in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Nepal | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 5.0% | 0.0% | 5.0% | China |
| 1100s | 5.0% | 0.0% | 5.0% | China |
| 1200s | 5.0% | 0.0% | 5.0% | China |
| 1300s | 5.0% | 0.0% | 5.0% | China |
| 1400s | 5.0% | 0.0% | 5.0% | China |
| 1500s | 6.5% | 0.0% | 6.5% | China |
| 1600s | 7.0% | 0.1% | 6.9% | China |
| 1700s | 6.0% | 0.3% | 5.7% | China |
| 1710s | 6.0% | 0.3% | 5.7% | China |
| 1720s | 6.0% | 0.3% | 5.7% | China |
| 1730s | 6.0% | 0.3% | 5.7% | China |
| 1740s | 6.0% | 0.4% | 5.6% | China |
| 1750s | 6.0% | 0.4% | 5.6% | China |
| 1760s | 6.0% | 0.5% | 5.5% | China |
| 1770s | 6.0% | 0.5% | 5.5% | China |
| 1780s | 6.0% | 0.5% | 5.5% | China |
| 1790s | 6.0% | 0.6% | 5.4% | China |
| 1800s | 6.0% | 0.7% | 5.3% | China |
| 1810s | 6.0% | 0.7% | 5.3% | China |
| 1820s | 6.0% | 0.8% | 5.2% | China |
| 1830s | 6.1% | 0.9% | 5.2% | China |
| 1840s | 6.1% | 0.9% | 5.2% | China |
| 1850s | 6.2% | 1.0% | 5.1% | China |
| 1860s | 6.2% | 1.1% | 5.1% | China |
| 1870s | 6.3% | 1.2% | 5.1% | China |
| 1880s | 6.4% | 1.4% | 5.0% | China |
| 1890s | 6.4% | 1.5% | 4.9% | China |
| 1900s | 6.5% | 1.6% | 4.9% | China |
| 1910s | 6.6% | 1.8% | 4.8% | China |
| 1920s | 6.6% | 2.0% | 4.7% | China |
| 1930s | 7.0% | 2.1% | 4.9% | China |
| 1940s | 8.0% | 2.3% | 5.7% | China |
| 1950s | 14.0% | 3.1% | 10.9% | China |
| 1960s | 18.0% | 3.7% | 14.3% | China |
| 1970s | 17.5% | 7.6% | 9.9% | China |
| 1980s | 23.0% | 17.2% | 5.9% | China |
| 1990s | 29.7% | 24.0% | 5.7% | China |
| 2000s | 42.4% | 44.4% | 2.0% | Nepal |
| 2010s | 56.5% | 64.5% | 8.0% | Nepal |
| 2020s | 65.2% | 66.5% | 1.3% | Nepal |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050, China or Nepal?
- Nepal, at 67.0% against 66.3% in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 between China and Nepal?
- 0.7%, with Nepal ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Nepal?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do China and Nepal rank globally for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050?
- China ranks 117th and Nepal ranks 115th of 238 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2023); 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 areas projected to 2050. 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, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.