Netherlands vs United Arab Emirates: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 95.9% in Netherlands and 86% in United Arab Emirates, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Netherlands, by 10 percentage points, or 1.12 times that in United Arab Emirates.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

NetherlandsUnited Arab EmiratesUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Netherlands has been higher since 2001, when it overtook United Arab Emirates.
In 2025, Netherlands ranked 17 and United Arab Emirates ranked 48 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Netherlands at 98.9% and United Arab Emirates at 87.9% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Netherlands	United Arab Emirates
2025	95.9	86
2024	95.6	85.8
2023	95.3	85.7
2022	95	85.5
2021	94.6	85.4
2020	94.3	85.2
2019	93.9	85
2018	92.6	84.9
2017	91.1	84.7
2016	90.6	84.5
2015	90.3	84.3
2014	89.8	84.1
2013	89.2	84
2012	88.5	83.8
2011	88	83.6
2010	87.4	83.4
2009	86.2	83.2
2008	85.6	83
2007	85.4	82.8
2006	84.7	82.6
2005	83.5	82.2
2004	82.3	81.5
2003	81.3	80.9
2002	80.8	80.3
2001	80.2	79.8
2000	78.5	79.3
1999	77.1	78.9
1998	76.8	78.6
1997	75.6	78.4
1996	72.4	78.3
1995	70.7	78.3
1994	70.4	78.3
1993	69.8	78.4
1992	69.3	78.4
1991	69.2	78.6
1990	69	78.7
1989	68.8	78.8
1988	68.4	79
1987	68.2	79.2
1986	68	79.3
1985	67.6	79.5
1984	67.4	79.7
1983	66.9	80
1982	66.5	80.3
1981	65.7	80.7
1980	65	81.1
1979	64.8	81.8
1978	64.6	82.6
1977	64.6	83.4
1976	64.5	83.9
1975	64.4	83.9
1974	64.2	83.7
1973	63.5	83.2
1972	63.1	82.6
1971	62.8	82
1970	62.1	81.2
1969	61.8	80.5
1968	61.8	79.8
1967	61.6	79.2
1966	61.3	78.5
1965	61.2	77.8
1964	60.9	77.1
1963	60.3	76.3
1962	60.3	75.5
1961	60.1	74.5
1960	59.9	73.5
1959	59.8	72.3
1958	59.2	70.9
1957	58.7	69.4
1956	58.6	67.7
1955	58.5	65.8
1954	58.1	63.8
1953	57.3	61.6
1952	57	59.4
1951	57	57
1950	56.6	54.5

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

Year	Netherlands	United Arab Emirates
2026	96.2	86.1
2027	96.5	86.2
2028	96.7	86.4
2029	97	86.5
2030	97.2	86.6
2031	97.4	86.7
2032	97.6	86.8
2033	97.7	87
2034	97.9	87.1
2035	98	87.2
2036	98.2	87.2
2037	98.3	87.3
2038	98.4	87.4
2039	98.5	87.5
2040	98.6	87.6
2041	98.6	87.6
2042	98.7	87.7
2043	98.7	87.7
2044	98.8	87.8
2045	98.8	87.8
2046	98.9	87.8
2047	98.9	87.9
2048	98.9	87.9
2049	98.9	87.9
2050	98.9	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

Netherlands vs United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsNetherlands: 0 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022