New Zealand vs Saudi Arabia: Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050
New Zealand
84.0%
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
84.6%
in 2025
New Zealand rank
58th
Saudi Arabia rank
57th
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 over time
- New Zealand
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 84.6% against 84.0% in New Zealand, a difference of 0.6%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 106 shared years of data; in 1200 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
New Zealand ranks 58th and Saudi Arabia ranks 57th of 238 countries.
Across the 38 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 31 and Saudi Arabia in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1200s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1400s | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1500s | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1600s | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.4% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1700s | 1.0% | 2.2% | 1.2% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1710s | 3.2% | 2.5% | 0.7% | New Zealand |
| 1720s | 5.3% | 2.7% | 2.6% | New Zealand |
| 1730s | 7.5% | 3.0% | 4.5% | New Zealand |
| 1740s | 9.7% | 3.2% | 6.4% | New Zealand |
| 1750s | 11.8% | 3.5% | 8.3% | New Zealand |
| 1760s | 14.0% | 3.9% | 10.1% | New Zealand |
| 1770s | 16.2% | 4.2% | 11.9% | New Zealand |
| 1780s | 18.3% | 4.7% | 13.7% | New Zealand |
| 1790s | 20.5% | 5.1% | 15.4% | New Zealand |
| 1800s | 22.7% | 5.6% | 17.1% | New Zealand |
| 1810s | 24.8% | 6.1% | 18.7% | New Zealand |
| 1820s | 27.0% | 6.7% | 20.3% | New Zealand |
| 1830s | 29.2% | 7.3% | 21.8% | New Zealand |
| 1840s | 31.3% | 8.0% | 23.3% | New Zealand |
| 1850s | 33.5% | 8.8% | 24.7% | New Zealand |
| 1860s | 35.7% | 9.6% | 26.0% | New Zealand |
| 1870s | 37.8% | 10.6% | 27.3% | New Zealand |
| 1880s | 40.0% | 11.6% | 28.4% | New Zealand |
| 1890s | 44.6% | 12.7% | 32.0% | New Zealand |
| 1900s | 49.3% | 13.9% | 35.4% | New Zealand |
| 1910s | 53.9% | 15.2% | 38.8% | New Zealand |
| 1920s | 58.6% | 16.6% | 42.0% | New Zealand |
| 1930s | 63.2% | 18.2% | 45.0% | New Zealand |
| 1940s | 67.9% | 19.9% | 47.9% | New Zealand |
| 1950s | 56.0% | 25.3% | 30.7% | New Zealand |
| 1960s | 68.3% | 38.6% | 29.7% | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 82.4% | 57.4% | 25.0% | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 83.8% | 72.0% | 11.9% | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 85.3% | 78.6% | 6.7% | New Zealand |
| 2000s | 85.9% | 80.9% | 5.0% | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 85.0% | 82.9% | 2.2% | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 83.9% | 84.2% | 0.3% | Saudi Arabia |
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, New Zealand or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 84.6% against 84.0% in New Zealand as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 between New Zealand and Saudi Arabia?
- 0.6%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and Saudi Arabia?
- 106 years are reported by both, from 1200 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and Saudi Arabia rank globally for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050?
- New Zealand ranks 58th and Saudi Arabia ranks 57th 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.