New Zealand vs United Kingdom: Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050
New Zealand
84.0%
in 2025
United Kingdom
83.3%
in 2025
New Zealand rank
58th
United Kingdom rank
60th
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 over time
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 84.0% against 83.3% in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 106 shared years of data; in 1200 it was United Kingdom ahead.
New Zealand ranks 58th and United Kingdom ranks 60th of 238 countries.
Across the 38 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 6 and United Kingdom in 32.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1200s | 0.0% | 2.2% | 2.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 2.2% | 2.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1400s | 0.0% | 2.5% | 2.5% | United Kingdom |
| 1500s | 0.1% | 2.1% | 2.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1600s | 0.3% | 2.1% | 1.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1700s | 1.0% | 2.1% | 1.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1710s | 3.2% | 6.3% | 3.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1720s | 5.3% | 10.5% | 5.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1730s | 7.5% | 14.8% | 7.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1740s | 9.7% | 19.0% | 9.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1750s | 11.8% | 23.2% | 11.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1760s | 14.0% | 24.3% | 10.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1770s | 16.2% | 25.4% | 9.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1780s | 18.3% | 26.5% | 8.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1790s | 20.5% | 27.6% | 7.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1800s | 22.7% | 28.7% | 6.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1810s | 24.8% | 32.1% | 7.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1820s | 27.0% | 35.4% | 8.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1830s | 29.2% | 38.8% | 9.6% | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 31.3% | 42.1% | 10.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 33.5% | 45.5% | 12.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 35.7% | 48.8% | 13.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 37.8% | 52.2% | 14.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 40.0% | 55.5% | 15.5% | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 44.6% | 58.9% | 14.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 49.3% | 62.2% | 12.9% | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 53.9% | 65.6% | 11.6% | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 58.6% | 68.9% | 10.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 63.2% | 72.3% | 9.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 67.9% | 75.6% | 7.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 56.0% | 79.7% | 23.7% | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 68.3% | 77.7% | 9.4% | United Kingdom |
| 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 areas projected to 2050, New Zealand or United Kingdom?
- New Zealand, at 84.0% against 83.3% in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 between New Zealand and United Kingdom?
- 0.7%, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and United Kingdom?
- 106 years are reported by both, from 1200 to 2025.
- How do New Zealand and United Kingdom rank globally for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050?
- New Zealand ranks 58th 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.