Brazil vs China: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 88.2% in Brazil and 66.3% in China, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Brazil, by 21.8 percentage points, or 1.33 times that in China.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

BrazilChinaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Brazil has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Brazil ranked 42 and China ranked 108 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Brazil at 91.3% and China at 89.7% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Brazil	China
2025	88.2	66.3
2024	87.9	65.9
2023	87.6	65.5
2022	87.4	65.2
2021	87.1	64.7
2020	86.9	63.5
2019	86.7	62.7
2018	86.4	61.5
2017	86.2	60.2
2016	86	58.8
2015	85.7	57.3
2014	85.4	55.8
2013	85.2	54.5
2012	84.9	53.1
2011	84.6	51.8
2010	84.3	49.2
2009	84.1	48.3
2008	83.8	47
2007	83.5	45.9
2006	83.3	44.3
2005	83	43
2004	82.7	41.8
2003	82.4	40.5
2002	82	39.1
2001	81.6	37.7
2000	81.2	36.4
1999	80.6	34.8
1998	79.8	33.4
1997	79	31.9
1996	78.3	30.5
1995	77.7	29
1994	77.2	28.5
1993	76.6	28
1992	76.1	27.5
1991	75.5	26.9
1990	74.9	26.2
1989	74.3	26.2
1988	73.6	25.8
1987	73	25.3
1986	72.3	24.5
1985	71.6	23.7
1984	70.9	23
1983	70.1	21.6
1982	69.3	20.6
1981	68.4	20.2
1980	67.4	19.4
1979	66.3	19
1978	65	17.9
1977	63.5	17.6
1976	61.9	17.4
1975	60.3	17.3
1974	58.7	17.2
1973	57.1	17.2
1972	55.7	17.1
1971	54.3	17.3
1970	53.2	17.4
1969	52.2	17.5
1968	51.2	17.6
1967	50.3	17.7
1966	49.5	17.9
1965	48.7	18
1964	47.9	18.3
1963	47.1	16.8
1962	46.3	17.3
1961	45.5	19.3
1960	44.7	19.8
1959	43.9	18.4
1958	43	16.3
1957	42.2	15.4
1956	41.4	14.6
1955	40.6	13.5
1954	39.8	13.7
1953	38.9	13
1952	38.1	12.5
1951	37.3	11.8
1950	36.6	11.2

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

Year	Brazil	China
2026	88.5	66.8
2027	88.8	67.3
2028	89	67.9
2029	89.3	68.5
2030	89.6	69.1
2031	89.8	69.7
2032	90	70.4
2033	90.1	71.1
2034	90.2	71.9
2035	90.3	72.7
2036	90.5	73.6
2037	90.6	74.4
2038	90.7	75.4
2039	90.8	76.3
2040	90.8	77.3
2041	90.9	78.4
2042	91	79.5
2043	91.1	80.6
2044	91.1	81.8
2045	91.2	83
2046	91.2	84.2
2047	91.2	85.5
2048	91.3	86.9
2049	91.3	88.3
2050	91.3	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

Brazil vs China: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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