United Arab Emirates vs Western Sahara: Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050
United Arab Emirates
86.0%
in 2025
Western Sahara
86.9%
in 2025
United Arab Emirates rank
54th
Western Sahara rank
52nd
Share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 over time
- United Arab Emirates
- Western Sahara
How they compare
Western Sahara currently reports 86.9% against 86.0% in United Arab Emirates, a difference of 0.9%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was United Arab Emirates ahead.
United Arab Emirates ranks 54th and Western Sahara ranks 52nd of 238 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, United Arab Emirates averaged higher in 35 and Western Sahara in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United Arab Emirates | Western Sahara | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1100s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1200s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1400s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1500s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1600s | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.4% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1700s | 1.3% | 0.1% | 1.2% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1710s | 1.3% | 0.1% | 1.2% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1720s | 1.6% | 0.2% | 1.4% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1730s | 1.8% | 0.2% | 1.6% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1740s | 2.1% | 0.3% | 1.9% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1750s | 2.5% | 0.4% | 2.1% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1760s | 2.9% | 0.4% | 2.5% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1770s | 3.4% | 0.6% | 2.8% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1780s | 4.0% | 0.7% | 3.3% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1790s | 4.6% | 0.9% | 3.8% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1800s | 5.4% | 1.1% | 4.3% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1810s | 6.3% | 1.4% | 4.9% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1820s | 7.3% | 1.7% | 5.6% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1830s | 8.6% | 2.1% | 6.4% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1840s | 10.0% | 2.7% | 7.3% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1850s | 11.7% | 3.3% | 8.3% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1860s | 13.6% | 4.2% | 9.5% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1870s | 15.9% | 5.2% | 10.7% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1880s | 18.5% | 6.5% | 12.0% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1890s | 21.6% | 8.1% | 13.5% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1900s | 25.2% | 10.2% | 15.1% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1910s | 29.4% | 12.7% | 16.7% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1920s | 34.3% | 15.9% | 18.5% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1930s | 40.0% | 19.8% | 20.2% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1940s | 46.7% | 24.8% | 21.9% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1950s | 64.2% | 31.1% | 33.2% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1960s | 77.3% | 34.0% | 43.2% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1970s | 82.8% | 54.9% | 28.0% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1980s | 79.8% | 82.0% | 2.2% | Western Sahara |
| 1990s | 78.5% | 85.4% | 7.0% | Western Sahara |
| 2000s | 81.5% | 86.1% | 4.6% | Western Sahara |
| 2010s | 84.2% | 86.5% | 2.3% | Western Sahara |
| 2020s | 85.6% | 86.8% | 1.2% | Western Sahara |
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, United Arab Emirates or Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara, at 86.9% against 86.0% in United Arab Emirates as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050 between United Arab Emirates and Western Sahara?
- 0.9%, with Western Sahara ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United Arab Emirates and Western Sahara?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do United Arab Emirates and Western Sahara rank globally for share of population living in urban areas projected to 2050?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 54th and Western Sahara ranks 52nd 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.