Norway vs Saudi Arabia: Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050
Norway
83.6%
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
84.6%
in 2025
Norway rank
59th
Saudi Arabia rank
57th
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 over time
- Norway
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 84.6% against 83.6% in Norway, a difference of 1.0%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Norway ahead.
Norway ranks 59th and Saudi Arabia ranks 57th of 238 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Norway averaged higher in 35 and Saudi Arabia in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Norway | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | Norway |
| 1100s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% | Norway |
| 1200s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | Norway |
| 1300s | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.4% | Norway |
| 1400s | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.5% | Norway |
| 1500s | 0.9% | 0.2% | 0.7% | Norway |
| 1600s | 1.4% | 0.7% | 0.7% | Norway |
| 1700s | 4.0% | 2.2% | 1.8% | Norway |
| 1710s | 5.9% | 2.5% | 3.4% | Norway |
| 1720s | 7.7% | 2.7% | 5.0% | Norway |
| 1730s | 9.6% | 3.0% | 6.6% | Norway |
| 1740s | 11.4% | 3.2% | 8.2% | Norway |
| 1750s | 13.3% | 3.5% | 9.7% | Norway |
| 1760s | 15.1% | 3.9% | 11.3% | Norway |
| 1770s | 17.0% | 4.2% | 12.8% | Norway |
| 1780s | 18.9% | 4.7% | 14.2% | Norway |
| 1790s | 20.7% | 5.1% | 15.6% | Norway |
| 1800s | 22.6% | 5.6% | 17.0% | Norway |
| 1810s | 24.4% | 6.1% | 18.3% | Norway |
| 1820s | 26.3% | 6.7% | 19.6% | Norway |
| 1830s | 28.2% | 7.3% | 20.8% | Norway |
| 1840s | 30.0% | 8.0% | 22.0% | Norway |
| 1850s | 31.9% | 8.8% | 23.1% | Norway |
| 1860s | 33.7% | 9.6% | 24.1% | Norway |
| 1870s | 35.6% | 10.6% | 25.0% | Norway |
| 1880s | 37.4% | 11.6% | 25.9% | Norway |
| 1890s | 39.3% | 12.7% | 26.6% | Norway |
| 1900s | 41.2% | 13.9% | 27.3% | Norway |
| 1910s | 43.0% | 15.2% | 27.8% | Norway |
| 1920s | 44.9% | 16.6% | 28.3% | Norway |
| 1930s | 46.7% | 18.2% | 28.5% | Norway |
| 1940s | 48.6% | 19.9% | 28.6% | Norway |
| 1950s | 48.2% | 25.3% | 22.9% | Norway |
| 1960s | 55.5% | 38.6% | 16.9% | Norway |
| 1970s | 68.4% | 57.4% | 11.0% | Norway |
| 1980s | 71.2% | 72.0% | 0.8% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 73.8% | 78.6% | 4.9% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2000s | 77.6% | 80.9% | 3.3% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 80.8% | 82.9% | 2.0% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 83.1% | 84.2% | 1.1% | 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, Norway or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 84.6% against 83.6% in Norway as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 between Norway and Saudi Arabia?
- 1.0%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and Saudi Arabia?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Norway and Saudi Arabia rank globally for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050?
- Norway ranks 59th 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.