Belgium vs China: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 87.7% in Belgium and 66.3% in China, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Belgium, by 21.3 percentage points, or 1.32 times that in China.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

BelgiumChinaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Belgium has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Belgium ranked 45 and China ranked 108 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Belgium at 88.5% and China at 89.7% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Belgium	China
2025	87.7	66.3
2024	87.6	65.9
2023	87.6	65.5
2022	87.5	65.2
2021	87.4	64.7
2020	87.3	63.5
2019	87.1	62.7
2018	86.9	61.5
2017	86.7	60.2
2016	86.5	58.8
2015	86.2	57.3
2014	86	55.8
2013	85.7	54.5
2012	85.5	53.1
2011	85.2	51.8
2010	85	49.2
2009	84.7	48.3
2008	84.4	47
2007	84.2	45.9
2006	83.9	44.3
2005	83.6	43
2004	83.3	41.8
2003	83	40.5
2002	82.7	39.1
2001	82.3	37.7
2000	82	36.4
1999	81.7	34.8
1998	81.4	33.4
1997	81	31.9
1996	80.7	30.5
1995	80.3	29
1994	80	28.5
1993	79.6	28
1992	79.3	27.5
1991	78.9	26.9
1990	78.6	26.2
1989	78.2	26.2
1988	77.8	25.8
1987	77.4	25.3
1986	77.1	24.5
1985	76.7	23.7
1984	76.3	23
1983	75.9	21.6
1982	75.5	20.6
1981	75.1	20.2
1980	74.7	19.4
1979	74.3	19
1978	73.9	17.9
1977	73.5	17.6
1976	73.1	17.4
1975	72.7	17.3
1974	72.3	17.2
1973	71.9	17.2
1972	71.5	17.1
1971	71.1	17.3
1970	70.6	17.4
1969	70.2	17.5
1968	69.7	17.6
1967	69.1	17.7
1966	68.6	17.9
1965	68	18
1964	67.5	18.3
1963	67	16.8
1962	66.6	17.3
1961	66.2	19.3
1960	65.9	19.8
1959	65.5	18.4
1958	65.1	16.3
1957	64.8	15.4
1956	64.4	14.6
1955	64.1	13.5
1954	63.8	13.7
1953	63.5	13
1952	63.3	12.5
1951	63.1	11.8
1950	62.9	11.2

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

Year	Belgium	China
2026	87.7	66.8
2027	87.8	67.3
2028	87.8	67.9
2029	87.9	68.5
2030	88	69.1
2031	88	69.7
2032	88.1	70.4
2033	88.1	71.1
2034	88.1	71.9
2035	88.2	72.7
2036	88.2	73.6
2037	88.3	74.4
2038	88.3	75.4
2039	88.3	76.3
2040	88.4	77.3
2041	88.4	78.4
2042	88.4	79.5
2043	88.5	80.6
2044	88.5	81.8
2045	88.5	83
2046	88.5	84.2
2047	88.5	85.5
2048	88.5	86.9
2049	88.5	88.3
2050	88.5	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

Belgium vs China: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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