China vs Ethiopia

China vs Ethiopia: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 66.3% in China and 24.1% in Ethiopia, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 42.2 percentage points, or 2.75 times that in Ethiopia.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

China vs Ethiopia: Urban populationUrban population in 2025: 66.3% in China and 24.1% in Ethiopia, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 42.2 percentage points, or 2.75 times that in Ethiopia.
ChinaEthiopiaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

  • China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
  • In 2025, China ranked 108 and Ethiopia ranked 217 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
  • The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts China at 89.7% and Ethiopia at 33.9% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

YearChinaEthiopia
202566.324.1
202465.923.6
202365.523.1
202265.222.7
202164.722.1
202063.521.6
201962.721.3
201861.520.8
201760.220.3
201658.819.9
201557.319.5
201455.819
201354.518.6
201253.118.2
201151.817.9
201049.217.5
200948.317.2
20084716.8
200745.916.1
200644.316.2
20054316
200441.815.8
200340.515.5
200239.115.3
200137.715.1
200036.414.9
199934.814.7
199833.414.5
199731.914.3
199630.514.1
19952913.9
199428.513.7
19932813.5
199227.513.3
199126.913
199026.212.8
198926.212.5
198825.812.2
198725.311.9
198624.511.7
198523.711.4
19842311.2
198321.611
198220.610.8
198120.210.6
198019.410.4
19791910.2
197817.910
197717.69.8
197617.49.6
197517.39.4
197417.29.2
197317.29.1
197217.18.9
197117.38.7
197017.48.6
196917.58.4
196817.68.3
196717.78.1
196617.98
1965187.8
196418.37.7
196316.87.5
196217.37.4
196119.37.2
196019.87.1
195918.47
195816.36.8
195715.46.7
195614.66.6
195513.56.5
195413.76.4
1953136.3
195212.56.1
195111.86
195011.25.9
UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050
YearChinaEthiopia
202666.824.6
202767.325.1
202867.925.6
202968.526
203069.126.5
203169.727
203270.427.4
203371.127.9
203471.928.3
203572.728.7
203673.629.2
203774.429.6
203875.430
203976.330.4
204077.330.8
204178.431.1
204279.531.5
204380.631.8
204481.832.2
20458332.5
204684.232.8
204785.533.1
204886.933.4
204988.333.6
205089.733.9

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

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