India vs South Korea: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 35.7% in India and 81.2% in South Korea, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 45.5 percentage points, or 2.27 times that in India.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

IndiaSouth KoreaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, India ranked 191 and South Korea ranked 59 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts India at 43.1% and South Korea at 83.3% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	India	South Korea
2025	35.7	81.2
2024	35.4	81.2
2023	35.1	81.2
2022	34.8	81.2
2021	34.4	81.2
2020	34.1	81.2
2019	33.8	81.3
2018	33.5	81.4
2017	33.2	81.5
2016	32.9	81.6
2015	32.6	81.6
2014	32.2	81.7
2013	31.9	81.8
2012	31.6	81.9
2011	31.3	82
2010	30.9	82
2009	30.5	81.9
2008	30.1	81.8
2007	29.8	81.7
2006	29.4	81.6
2005	29.1	81.4
2004	28.8	81.1
2003	28.5	80.7
2002	28.2	80.3
2001	27.9	79.9
2000	27.7	79.6
1999	27.4	79.4
1998	27.2	79.2
1997	27	79
1996	26.8	78.8
1995	26.6	78.4
1994	26.4	77.9
1993	26.2	77.1
1992	26	76.2
1991	25.8	75.2
1990	25.6	74
1989	25.4	72.5
1988	25.2	70.6
1987	25	68.6
1986	24.8	66.6
1985	24.7	64.8
1984	24.5	63.2
1983	24.3	61.5
1982	24	60
1981	23.8	58.3
1980	23.5	56.7
1979	23.2	54.9
1978	22.8	53.1
1977	22.4	51.3
1976	21.9	49.6
1975	21.5	48
1974	21	46.5
1973	20.6	45.2
1972	20.3	43.8
1971	20	42.4
1970	19.7	40.7
1969	19.5	38.7
1968	19.2	36.5
1967	19	34.6
1966	18.8	33.1
1965	18.6	32
1964	18.4	31
1963	18.3	30.1
1962	18.1	29.2
1961	18	28.5
1960	17.9	27.7
1959	17.9	27
1958	17.8	26.3
1957	17.7	25.7
1956	17.7	25.1
1955	17.6	24.4
1954	17.6	23.6
1953	17.5	22.9
1952	17.4	22.1
1951	17.3	21.3
1950	17.2	20.6

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

Year	India	South Korea
2026	36	81.2
2027	36.3	81.2
2028	36.6	81.2
2029	36.9	81.2
2030	37.2	81.3
2031	37.5	81.3
2032	37.8	81.3
2033	38.1	81.4
2034	38.4	81.4
2035	38.7	81.4
2036	39	81.5
2037	39.3	81.6
2038	39.6	81.6
2039	39.9	81.7
2040	40.2	81.8
2041	40.5	81.9
2042	40.8	82
2043	41.1	82.1
2044	41.4	82.3
2045	41.7	82.4
2046	41.9	82.6
2047	42.2	82.7
2048	42.5	82.9
2049	42.8	83.1
2050	43.1	83.3

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

India vs South Korea: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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