Pakistan vs South Korea: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 39.5% in Pakistan and 81.2% in South Korea, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 41.6 percentage points, or 2.05 times that in Pakistan.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

PakistanSouth 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, Pakistan ranked 181 and South Korea ranked 59 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Pakistan at 47.1% and South Korea at 83.3% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Pakistan	South Korea
2025	39.5	81.2
2024	39.2	81.2
2023	38.8	81.2
2022	38.4	81.2
2021	37.9	81.2
2020	37.5	81.2
2019	37.1	81.3
2018	36.8	81.4
2017	36.4	81.5
2016	36.2	81.6
2015	35.9	81.6
2014	35.7	81.7
2013	35.4	81.8
2012	35.2	81.9
2011	35	82
2010	34.8	82
2009	34.6	81.9
2008	34.5	81.8
2007	34.3	81.7
2006	34.1	81.6
2005	33.9	81.4
2004	33.7	81.1
2003	33.6	80.7
2002	33.4	80.3
2001	33.2	79.9
2000	33	79.6
1999	32.8	79.4
1998	32.6	79.2
1997	32.4	79
1996	32.1	78.8
1995	31.9	78.4
1994	31.7	77.9
1993	31.5	77.1
1992	31.2	76.2
1991	31	75.2
1990	30.8	74
1989	30.5	72.5
1988	30.3	70.6
1987	30	68.6
1986	29.8	66.6
1985	29.5	64.8
1984	29.2	63.2
1983	29	61.5
1982	28.7	60
1981	28.4	58.3
1980	28.1	56.7
1979	27.8	54.9
1978	27.4	53.1
1977	27.1	51.3
1976	26.7	49.6
1975	26.3	48
1974	26	46.5
1973	25.7	45.2
1972	25.4	43.8
1971	25.1	42.4
1970	24.8	40.7
1969	24.6	38.7
1968	24.4	36.5
1967	24.1	34.6
1966	23.9	33.1
1965	23.7	32
1964	23.5	31
1963	23.2	30.1
1962	22.9	29.2
1961	22.6	28.5
1960	22.3	27.7
1959	21.9	27
1958	21.5	26.3
1957	21.1	25.7
1956	20.6	25.1
1955	20.2	24.4
1954	19.6	23.6
1953	19.1	22.9
1952	18.6	22.1
1951	18	21.3
1950	17.4	20.6

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

Year	Pakistan	South Korea
2026	39.9	81.2
2027	40.2	81.2
2028	40.6	81.2
2029	40.9	81.2
2030	41.3	81.3
2031	41.6	81.3
2032	41.9	81.3
2033	42.3	81.4
2034	42.6	81.4
2035	42.9	81.4
2036	43.2	81.5
2037	43.5	81.6
2038	43.8	81.6
2039	44.1	81.7
2040	44.4	81.8
2041	44.7	81.9
2042	45	82
2043	45.3	82.1
2044	45.6	82.3
2045	45.8	82.4
2046	46.1	82.6
2047	46.4	82.7
2048	46.6	82.9
2049	46.9	83.1
2050	47.1	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

Pakistan vs South Korea: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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