Norway vs Sweden: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 83.6% in Norway and 89.1% in Sweden, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Sweden, by 5.5 percentage points, or 1.07 times that in Norway.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

NorwaySwedenUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Sweden has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Norway ranked 53 and Sweden ranked 38 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Norway at 91.4% and Sweden at 92.9% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Norway	Sweden
2025	83.6	89.1
2024	83.3	88.9
2023	83.1	88.6
2022	83	88.4
2021	82.9	88.2
2020	82.7	87.9
2019	82.5	87.7
2018	82.3	87.5
2017	82	87.2
2016	81.7	87
2015	81.2	86.6
2014	80.6	86.3
2013	80	85.9
2012	79.5	85.6
2011	79.3	85.4
2010	79.3	85.1
2009	79.1	84.9
2008	78.8	84.8
2007	78.4	84.6
2006	78.1	84.5
2005	77.8	84.4
2004	77.6	84.3
2003	77.3	84.2
2002	76.8	84.1
2001	76.4	84.1
2000	76.1	84
1999	75.8	84
1998	75.3	84
1997	74.7	84
1996	74.2	83.9
1995	73.9	83.9
1994	73.7	83.8
1993	73.2	83.7
1992	72.7	83.6
1991	72.2	83.5
1990	71.9	83.4
1989	71.7	83.3
1988	71.6	83.2
1987	71.5	83.2
1986	71.4	83.1
1985	71.3	83.1
1984	71.2	83.1
1983	71.1	83.1
1982	71	83.1
1981	70.8	83.1
1980	70.7	83.1
1979	70.4	83.1
1978	70.1	83
1977	69.7	82.9
1976	69.3	82.8
1975	68.9	82.7
1974	68.3	82.5
1973	67.8	82.3
1972	67.1	82
1971	66.4	81.7
1970	65.6	81.2
1969	64.4	80.6
1968	62.6	79.8
1967	60.5	78.9
1966	58.2	78
1965	55.9	77.1
1964	53.6	76.2
1963	51.6	75.3
1962	50.1	74.3
1961	49	73.4
1960	48.7	72.5
1959	48.6	71.6
1958	48.5	70.8
1957	48.4	70
1956	48.3	69.2
1955	48.2	68.5
1954	48.1	67.7
1953	48.1	67
1952	48	66.2
1951	47.9	65.5
1950	47.9	64.7

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

Year	Norway	Sweden
2026	83.8	89.3
2027	84.1	89.5
2028	84.3	89.7
2029	84.6	89.9
2030	84.9	90.1
2031	85.1	90.3
2032	85.4	90.5
2033	85.7	90.7
2034	86	90.9
2035	86.3	91.1
2036	86.6	91.3
2037	86.9	91.4
2038	87.2	91.6
2039	87.5	91.7
2040	87.8	91.9
2041	88.2	92
2042	88.5	92.2
2043	88.8	92.3
2044	89.2	92.4
2045	89.5	92.5
2046	89.9	92.6
2047	90.3	92.7
2048	90.6	92.8
2049	91	92.9
2050	91.4	92.9

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

Norway vs Sweden: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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