Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 84.6% in Saudi Arabia and 86% in United Arab Emirates, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 1.3 percentage points, or 1.02 times that in Saudi Arabia.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

Saudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher since 2003, when it overtook Saudi Arabia.
In 2025, Saudi Arabia ranked 51 and United Arab Emirates ranked 48 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Saudi Arabia at 87.5% and United Arab Emirates at 87.9% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates
2025	84.6	86
2024	84.5	85.8
2023	84.3	85.7
2022	84.1	85.5
2021	84	85.4
2020	83.8	85.2
2019	83.6	85
2018	83.5	84.9
2017	83.3	84.7
2016	83.1	84.5
2015	83	84.3
2014	82.8	84.1
2013	82.6	84
2012	82.4	83.8
2011	82.3	83.6
2010	82.1	83.4
2009	81.9	83.2
2008	81.6	83
2007	81.4	82.8
2006	81.2	82.6
2005	81	82.2
2004	80.8	81.5
2003	80.5	80.9
2002	80.3	80.3
2001	80.2	79.8
2000	80	79.3
1999	79.8	78.9
1998	79.6	78.6
1997	79.4	78.4
1996	79.2	78.3
1995	78.9	78.3
1994	78.7	78.3
1993	78.3	78.4
1992	78	78.4
1991	77.6	78.6
1990	77	78.7
1989	76.3	78.8
1988	75.6	79
1987	74.8	79.2
1986	73.9	79.3
1985	72.9	79.5
1984	71.9	79.7
1983	70.6	80
1982	69.3	80.3
1981	67.9	80.7
1980	66.4	81.1
1979	64.9	81.8
1978	63.3	82.6
1977	61.7	83.4
1976	60.1	83.9
1975	58.4	83.9
1974	56.8	83.7
1973	55.1	83.2
1972	53.2	82.6
1971	51.2	82
1970	49.2	81.2
1969	47.1	80.5
1968	45	79.8
1967	42.9	79.2
1966	40.9	78.5
1965	39	77.8
1964	37.2	77.1
1963	35.6	76.3
1962	34.1	75.5
1961	32.8	74.5
1960	31.4	73.5
1959	30.2	72.3
1958	29	70.9
1957	27.8	69.4
1956	26.7	67.7
1955	25.6	65.8
1954	24.6	63.8
1953	23.7	61.6
1952	22.8	59.4
1951	22	57
1950	21.3	54.5

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

Year	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates
2026	84.8	86.1
2027	84.9	86.2
2028	85.1	86.4
2029	85.2	86.5
2030	85.4	86.6
2031	85.5	86.7
2032	85.6	86.8
2033	85.8	87
2034	85.9	87.1
2035	86	87.2
2036	86.2	87.2
2037	86.3	87.3
2038	86.4	87.4
2039	86.5	87.5
2040	86.6	87.6
2041	86.7	87.6
2042	86.8	87.7
2043	86.9	87.7
2044	87	87.8
2045	87.1	87.8
2046	87.2	87.8
2047	87.3	87.9
2048	87.3	87.9
2049	87.4	87.9
2050	87.5	87.9

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

Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSaudi Arabia: 31 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022