South Korea vs United Arab Emirates: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 81.2% in South Korea and 86% in United Arab Emirates, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 4.8 percentage points, or 1.06 times that in South Korea.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

South KoreaUnited Arab EmiratesUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher since 2003, when it overtook South Korea.
In 2025, South Korea ranked 59 and United Arab Emirates ranked 48 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts South Korea at 83.3% and United Arab Emirates at 87.9% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	South Korea	United Arab Emirates
2025	81.2	86
2024	81.2	85.8
2023	81.2	85.7
2022	81.2	85.5
2021	81.2	85.4
2020	81.2	85.2
2019	81.3	85
2018	81.4	84.9
2017	81.5	84.7
2016	81.6	84.5
2015	81.6	84.3
2014	81.7	84.1
2013	81.8	84
2012	81.9	83.8
2011	82	83.6
2010	82	83.4
2009	81.9	83.2
2008	81.8	83
2007	81.7	82.8
2006	81.6	82.6
2005	81.4	82.2
2004	81.1	81.5
2003	80.7	80.9
2002	80.3	80.3
2001	79.9	79.8
2000	79.6	79.3
1999	79.4	78.9
1998	79.2	78.6
1997	79	78.4
1996	78.8	78.3
1995	78.4	78.3
1994	77.9	78.3
1993	77.1	78.4
1992	76.2	78.4
1991	75.2	78.6
1990	74	78.7
1989	72.5	78.8
1988	70.6	79
1987	68.6	79.2
1986	66.6	79.3
1985	64.8	79.5
1984	63.2	79.7
1983	61.5	80
1982	60	80.3
1981	58.3	80.7
1980	56.7	81.1
1979	54.9	81.8
1978	53.1	82.6
1977	51.3	83.4
1976	49.6	83.9
1975	48	83.9
1974	46.5	83.7
1973	45.2	83.2
1972	43.8	82.6
1971	42.4	82
1970	40.7	81.2
1969	38.7	80.5
1968	36.5	79.8
1967	34.6	79.2
1966	33.1	78.5
1965	32	77.8
1964	31	77.1
1963	30.1	76.3
1962	29.2	75.5
1961	28.5	74.5
1960	27.7	73.5
1959	27	72.3
1958	26.3	70.9
1957	25.7	69.4
1956	25.1	67.7
1955	24.4	65.8
1954	23.6	63.8
1953	22.9	61.6
1952	22.1	59.4
1951	21.3	57
1950	20.6	54.5

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

Year	South Korea	United Arab Emirates
2026	81.2	86.1
2027	81.2	86.2
2028	81.2	86.4
2029	81.2	86.5
2030	81.3	86.6
2031	81.3	86.7
2032	81.3	86.8
2033	81.4	87
2034	81.4	87.1
2035	81.4	87.2
2036	81.5	87.2
2037	81.6	87.3
2038	81.6	87.4
2039	81.7	87.5
2040	81.8	87.6
2041	81.9	87.6
2042	82	87.7
2043	82.1	87.7
2044	82.3	87.8
2045	82.4	87.8
2046	82.6	87.8
2047	82.7	87.9
2048	82.9	87.9
2049	83.1	87.9
2050	83.3	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

South Korea vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSouth Korea: 0 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022