Bangladesh vs China: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 33.2% in Bangladesh and 66.3% in China, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 33.1 percentage points, or 2 times that in Bangladesh.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

BangladeshChinaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Bangladesh ranked 197 and China ranked 108 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Bangladesh at 59.3% and China at 89.7% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Bangladesh	China
2025	33.2	66.3
2024	32.7	65.9
2023	32.2	65.5
2022	31.7	65.2
2021	31.4	64.7
2020	31.1	63.5
2019	30.8	62.7
2018	30.5	61.5
2017	30.2	60.2
2016	29.9	58.8
2015	29.5	57.3
2014	29.2	55.8
2013	28.8	54.5
2012	28.5	53.1
2011	28.1	51.8
2010	27.7	49.2
2009	27.3	48.3
2008	26.9	47
2007	26.4	45.9
2006	26	44.3
2005	25.5	43
2004	25	41.8
2003	24.6	40.5
2002	24.1	39.1
2001	23.7	37.7
2000	23.3	36.4
1999	23	34.8
1998	22.6	33.4
1997	22.3	31.9
1996	22	30.5
1995	21.7	29
1994	21.3	28.5
1993	21	28
1992	20.7	27.5
1991	20.3	26.9
1990	19.9	26.2
1989	19.5	26.2
1988	19	25.8
1987	18.6	25.3
1986	18.1	24.5
1985	17.6	23.7
1984	17.1	23
1983	16.6	21.6
1982	16	20.6
1981	15.4	20.2
1980	14.7	19.4
1979	13.8	19
1978	12.7	17.9
1977	11.6	17.6
1976	10.6	17.4
1975	9.6	17.3
1974	9	17.2
1973	8.5	17.2
1972	8.1	17.1
1971	7.7	17.3
1970	7.4	17.4
1969	7.1	17.5
1968	6.8	17.6
1967	6.5	17.7
1966	6.3	17.9
1965	6.1	18
1964	5.9	18.3
1963	5.7	16.8
1962	5.5	17.3
1961	5.3	19.3
1960	5.1	19.8
1959	5	18.4
1958	4.9	16.3
1957	4.8	15.4
1956	4.7	14.6
1955	4.7	13.5
1954	4.6	13.7
1953	4.5	13
1952	4.4	12.5
1951	4.4	11.8
1950	4.3	11.2

UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050

Year	Bangladesh	China
2026	33.8	66.8
2027	34.5	67.3
2028	35.2	67.9
2029	35.9	68.5
2030	36.6	69.1
2031	37.4	69.7
2032	38.3	70.4
2033	39.2	71.1
2034	40.1	71.9
2035	41	72.7
2036	42	73.6
2037	43	74.4
2038	44.1	75.4
2039	45.1	76.3
2040	46.3	77.3
2041	47.4	78.4
2042	48.6	79.5
2043	49.8	80.6
2044	51.1	81.8
2045	52.4	83
2046	53.7	84.2
2047	55.1	85.5
2048	56.4	86.9
2049	57.9	88.3
2050	59.3	89.7

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Bangladesh vs China: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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