Papua New Guinea vs Vietnam: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 15.8% in Papua New Guinea and 38.8% in Vietnam, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Vietnam, by 23 percentage points, or 2.46 times that in Papua New Guinea.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

Papua New GuineaVietnamUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Vietnam has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Papua New Guinea ranked 226 and Vietnam ranked 183 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Papua New Guinea at 32.4% and Vietnam at 46.5% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Papua New Guinea	Vietnam
2025	15.8	38.8
2024	15.4	38.5
2023	15.1	38.1
2022	14.7	37.6
2021	14.4	36.7
2020	14.2	35.6
2019	13.9	34.6
2018	13.7	33.9
2017	13.5	33.4
2016	13.4	32.9
2015	13.2	32.4
2014	13.1	32
2013	13.1	31.5
2012	13	31.1
2011	13	30.7
2010	13	30.3
2009	13	29.8
2008	13	29.2
2007	13	28.7
2006	13.1	28.1
2005	13.1	27.4
2004	13.1	26.8
2003	13.1	26.2
2002	13.2	25.6
2001	13.2	25
2000	13.2	24.4
1999	13.3	23.8
1998	13.5	23.3
1997	13.8	22.7
1996	14	22.1
1995	14.4	21.5
1994	14.7	20.9
1993	14.9	20.3
1992	15.2	19.8
1991	15.3	19.4
1990	15.4	19.2
1989	15.3	19.1
1988	15.1	19.1
1987	14.9	19.1
1986	14.5	19.1
1985	14.2	19.1
1984	13.8	19.1
1983	13.5	19.1
1982	13.3	19.1
1981	13.1	19.1
1980	13.1	19.2
1979	13.1	19.2
1978	13.1	19.2
1977	13.1	19.6
1976	13.1	20.4
1975	13	20.6
1974	12.7	20.5
1973	12.2	20.5
1972	11.7	20.6
1971	11.1	20.7
1970	10.2	20.7
1969	9.1	20.6
1968	7.8	20.1
1967	6.6	19.3
1966	5.9	18.4
1965	5.4	17.5
1964	5	17
1963	4.6	16.5
1962	4.2	16.1
1961	3.8	15.7
1960	3.5	15.3
1959	3.1	14.7
1958	2.9	13.8
1957	2.6	12.9
1956	2.4	12
1955	2.2	11.3
1954	2	10.8
1953	1.9	10.5
1952	1.8	10.2
1951	1.7	10
1950	1.7	10.1

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

Year	Papua New Guinea	Vietnam
2026	16.2	39.2
2027	16.6	39.5
2028	17.1	39.8
2029	17.5	40.2
2030	18	40.5
2031	18.5	40.8
2032	19.1	41.2
2033	19.6	41.5
2034	20.2	41.8
2035	20.8	42.1
2036	21.5	42.5
2037	22.1	42.8
2038	22.8	43.1
2039	23.5	43.4
2040	24.2	43.7
2041	24.9	44
2042	25.7	44.3
2043	26.5	44.6
2044	27.2	44.9
2045	28.1	45.2
2046	28.9	45.5
2047	29.7	45.7
2048	30.6	46
2049	31.5	46.3
2050	32.4	46.5

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

Papua New Guinea vs Vietnam: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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