Germany vs United Kingdom: Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050
Germany
82.1%
in 2025
United Kingdom
83.3%
in 2025
Germany rank
62nd
United Kingdom rank
60th
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 over time
- Germany
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 83.3% against 82.1% in Germany, a difference of 1.2%.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Germany ranks 62nd and United Kingdom ranks 60th of 238 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 12 and United Kingdom in 28.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 2.2% | 2.4% | 0.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1100s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 0.2% | Germany |
| 1200s | 4.9% | 2.2% | 2.7% | Germany |
| 1300s | 7.4% | 2.2% | 5.2% | Germany |
| 1400s | 11.1% | 2.5% | 8.6% | Germany |
| 1500s | 8.2% | 2.1% | 6.1% | Germany |
| 1600s | 8.5% | 2.1% | 6.4% | Germany |
| 1700s | 7.7% | 2.1% | 5.6% | Germany |
| 1710s | 8.1% | 6.3% | 1.8% | Germany |
| 1720s | 8.5% | 10.5% | 2.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1730s | 8.9% | 14.8% | 5.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1740s | 9.4% | 19.0% | 9.6% | United Kingdom |
| 1750s | 9.8% | 23.2% | 13.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1760s | 10.3% | 24.3% | 14.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1770s | 10.8% | 25.4% | 14.6% | United Kingdom |
| 1780s | 11.4% | 26.5% | 15.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1790s | 11.9% | 27.6% | 15.7% | United Kingdom |
| 1800s | 12.5% | 28.7% | 16.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1810s | 13.2% | 32.1% | 18.9% | United Kingdom |
| 1820s | 13.4% | 35.4% | 22.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1830s | 13.7% | 38.8% | 25.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 14.0% | 42.1% | 28.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 14.3% | 45.5% | 31.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 14.5% | 48.8% | 34.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 14.8% | 52.2% | 37.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 15.1% | 55.5% | 40.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 15.4% | 58.9% | 43.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 21.8% | 62.2% | 40.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 27.3% | 65.6% | 38.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 34.1% | 68.9% | 34.9% | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 42.6% | 72.3% | 29.7% | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 53.2% | 75.6% | 22.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 72.9% | 79.7% | 6.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 77.9% | 77.7% | 0.1% | Germany |
| 1970s | 79.8% | 77.5% | 2.3% | Germany |
| 1980s | 80.0% | 78.4% | 1.6% | Germany |
| 1990s | 80.0% | 78.7% | 1.4% | Germany |
| 2000s | 80.2% | 80.4% | 0.2% | United Kingdom |
| 2010s | 80.7% | 81.8% | 1.1% | United Kingdom |
| 2020s | 81.8% | 83.1% | 1.3% | United Kingdom |
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, Germany or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 83.3% against 82.1% in Germany as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 between Germany and United Kingdom?
- 1.2%, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United Kingdom?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Germany and United Kingdom rank globally for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050?
- Germany ranks 62nd and United Kingdom ranks 60th 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 modeled historical data.