Japan vs South Korea: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 92.3% in Japan and 81.2% in South Korea, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Japan, by 11.1 percentage points, or 1.14 times that in South Korea.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

JapanSouth KoreaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Japan has been higher since 2002, when it overtook South Korea.
In 2025, Japan ranked 28 and South Korea ranked 59 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Japan at 96% and South Korea at 83.3% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Japan	South Korea
2025	92.3	81.2
2024	92.2	81.2
2023	92.1	81.2
2022	92	81.2
2021	91.9	81.2
2020	91.8	81.2
2019	91.7	81.3
2018	91.6	81.4
2017	91.6	81.5
2016	91.5	81.6
2015	91.4	81.6
2014	91.3	81.7
2013	91.2	81.8
2012	91	81.9
2011	90.9	82
2010	90.6	82
2009	90.1	81.9
2008	89.3	81.8
2007	88.3	81.7
2006	87.2	81.6
2005	86	81.4
2004	84.4	81.1
2003	82.4	80.7
2002	80.6	80.3
2001	79.2	79.9
2000	78.6	79.6
1999	78.5	79.4
1998	78.3	79.2
1997	78.2	79
1996	78.1	78.8
1995	78	78.4
1994	77.9	77.9
1993	77.8	77.1
1992	77.6	76.2
1991	77.5	75.2
1990	77.3	74
1989	77.2	72.5
1988	77.1	70.6
1987	76.9	68.6
1986	76.8	66.6
1985	76.7	64.8
1984	76.6	63.2
1983	76.5	61.5
1982	76.4	60
1981	76.3	58.3
1980	76.2	56.7
1979	76.1	54.9
1978	76.1	53.1
1977	76	51.3
1976	76	49.6
1975	75.9	48
1974	75.4	46.5
1973	74.6	45.2
1972	73.7	43.8
1971	72.7	42.4
1970	71.9	40.7
1969	71.1	38.7
1968	70.3	36.5
1967	69.5	34.6
1966	68.7	33.1
1965	67.9	32
1964	67	31
1963	66.1	30.1
1962	65.2	29.2
1961	64.3	28.5
1960	63.3	27.7
1959	62.3	27
1958	61.3	26.3
1957	60.1	25.7
1956	58.7	25.1
1955	56.8	24.4
1954	53.4	23.6
1953	48.7	22.9
1952	43.8	22.1
1951	39.6	21.3
1950	37	20.6

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

Year	Japan	South Korea
2026	92.4	81.2
2027	92.5	81.2
2028	92.7	81.2
2029	92.8	81.2
2030	92.9	81.3
2031	93	81.3
2032	93.1	81.3
2033	93.3	81.4
2034	93.4	81.4
2035	93.6	81.4
2036	93.7	81.5
2037	93.8	81.6
2038	94	81.6
2039	94.1	81.7
2040	94.3	81.8
2041	94.4	81.9
2042	94.6	82
2043	94.8	82.1
2044	94.9	82.3
2045	95.1	82.4
2046	95.3	82.6
2047	95.5	82.7
2048	95.6	82.9
2049	95.8	83.1
2050	96	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

Japan vs South Korea: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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