Mexico vs South Korea: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 80% in Mexico and 81.2% in South Korea, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 1.1 percentage points, or 1.01 times that in Mexico.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

MexicoSouth KoreaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher since 1989.
In 2025, Mexico ranked 63 and South Korea ranked 59 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Mexico at 89.5% and South Korea at 83.3% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Mexico	South Korea
2025	80	81.2
2024	79.8	81.2
2023	79.5	81.2
2022	79.2	81.2
2021	78.9	81.2
2020	78.7	81.2
2019	78.4	81.3
2018	78	81.4
2017	77.7	81.5
2016	77.4	81.6
2015	77.2	81.6
2014	77	81.7
2013	76.8	81.8
2012	76.7	81.9
2011	76.6	82
2010	76.5	82
2009	76.5	81.9
2008	76.5	81.8
2007	76.5	81.7
2006	76.5	81.6
2005	76.5	81.4
2004	76.3	81.1
2003	76.1	80.7
2002	75.7	80.3
2001	75.3	79.9
2000	74.9	79.6
1999	74.6	79.4
1998	74.3	79.2
1997	74	79
1996	73.6	78.8
1995	73.3	78.4
1994	73	77.9
1993	72.6	77.1
1992	72.2	76.2
1991	71.9	75.2
1990	71.5	74
1989	71	72.5
1988	70.6	70.6
1987	70.1	68.6
1986	69.6	66.6
1985	69.1	64.8
1984	68.6	63.2
1983	68.1	61.5
1982	67.5	60
1981	66.9	58.3
1980	66.3	56.7
1979	65.7	54.9
1978	65	53.1
1977	64.4	51.3
1976	63.6	49.6
1975	62.9	48
1974	62.1	46.5
1973	61.4	45.2
1972	60.6	43.8
1971	59.8	42.4
1970	59	40.7
1969	58.3	38.7
1968	57.5	36.5
1967	56.6	34.6
1966	55.8	33.1
1965	55	32
1964	54.1	31
1963	53.3	30.1
1962	52.4	29.2
1961	51.6	28.5
1960	50.8	27.7
1959	49.9	27
1958	49.1	26.3
1957	48.3	25.7
1956	47.5	25.1
1955	46.7	24.4
1954	45.9	23.6
1953	45.1	22.9
1952	44.2	22.1
1951	43.4	21.3
1950	42.6	20.6

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

Year	Mexico	South Korea
2026	80.3	81.2
2027	80.6	81.2
2028	80.9	81.2
2029	81.3	81.2
2030	81.6	81.3
2031	81.9	81.3
2032	82.2	81.3
2033	82.6	81.4
2034	82.9	81.4
2035	83.3	81.4
2036	83.7	81.5
2037	84	81.6
2038	84.4	81.6
2039	84.8	81.7
2040	85.2	81.8
2041	85.6	81.9
2042	86	82
2043	86.4	82.1
2044	86.8	82.3
2045	87.3	82.4
2046	87.7	82.6
2047	88.1	82.7
2048	88.6	82.9
2049	89	83.1
2050	89.5	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

Mexico vs South Korea: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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