Poland vs South Korea: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 60.1% in Poland and 81.2% in South Korea, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 21.1 percentage points, or 1.35 times that in Poland.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

PolandSouth KoreaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

South Korea has been higher since 1982, when it overtook Poland.
In 2025, Poland ranked 132 and South Korea ranked 59 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Poland at 72.1% and South Korea at 83.3% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Poland	South Korea
2025	60.1	81.2
2024	60	81.2
2023	59.9	81.2
2022	59.8	81.2
2021	59.8	81.2
2020	59.9	81.2
2019	60	81.3
2018	60.1	81.4
2017	60.2	81.5
2016	60.2	81.6
2015	60.3	81.6
2014	60.4	81.7
2013	60.5	81.8
2012	60.6	81.9
2011	60.7	82
2010	60.9	82
2009	61	81.9
2008	61.1	81.8
2007	61.3	81.7
2006	61.4	81.6
2005	61.6	81.4
2004	61.7	81.1
2003	61.7	80.7
2002	61.8	80.3
2001	61.8	79.9
2000	61.8	79.6
1999	61.7	79.4
1998	61.7	79.2
1997	61.7	79
1996	61.6	78.8
1995	61.6	78.4
1994	61.6	77.9
1993	61.5	77.1
1992	61.4	76.2
1991	61.4	75.2
1990	61.3	74
1989	61.2	72.5
1988	61.1	70.6
1987	61	68.6
1986	60.7	66.6
1985	60.4	64.8
1984	60.1	63.2
1983	59.6	61.5
1982	59.2	60
1981	58.7	58.3
1980	58.2	56.7
1979	57.7	54.9
1978	57.2	53.1
1977	56.7	51.3
1976	56	49.6
1975	55.3	48
1974	54.6	46.5
1973	53.9	45.2
1972	53.2	43.8
1971	52.6	42.4
1970	52.1	40.7
1969	51.6	38.7
1968	51.2	36.5
1967	50.9	34.6
1966	50.6	33.1
1965	50.2	32
1964	49.9	31
1963	49.5	30.1
1962	49.1	29.2
1961	48.6	28.5
1960	48.1	27.7
1959	47.4	27
1958	46.7	26.3
1957	45.9	25.7
1956	45	25.1
1955	44	24.4
1954	43	23.6
1953	42	22.9
1952	40.8	22.1
1951	39.7	21.3
1950	38.4	20.6

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

Year	Poland	South Korea
2026	60.2	81.2
2027	60.4	81.2
2028	60.6	81.2
2029	60.8	81.2
2030	61.1	81.3
2031	61.4	81.3
2032	61.7	81.3
2033	62.1	81.4
2034	62.4	81.4
2035	62.8	81.4
2036	63.3	81.5
2037	63.7	81.6
2038	64.2	81.6
2039	64.7	81.7
2040	65.3	81.8
2041	65.8	81.9
2042	66.4	82
2043	67.1	82.1
2044	67.7	82.3
2045	68.4	82.4
2046	69.1	82.6
2047	69.8	82.7
2048	70.5	82.9
2049	71.3	83.1
2050	72.1	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

Poland vs South Korea: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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