China vs Sao Tome and Principe: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
China
83.6%
in 2020
Sao Tome and Principe
83.4%
in 2020
China rank
62nd
Sao Tome and Principe rank
63rd
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- China
- Sao Tome and Principe
How they compare
China currently reports 83.6% against 83.4% in Sao Tome and Principe, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Sao Tome and Principe ahead.
China ranks 62nd and Sao Tome and Principe ranks 63rd of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and Sao Tome and Principe in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Sao Tome and Principe | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 65.6% | 78.2% | 12.7% | Sao Tome and Principe |
| 1960s | 69.1% | 76.5% | 7.3% | Sao Tome and Principe |
| 1970s | 73.4% | 75.4% | 2.0% | Sao Tome and Principe |
| 1980s | 76.2% | 77.9% | 1.8% | Sao Tome and Principe |
| 1990s | 79.6% | 79.9% | 0.2% | Sao Tome and Principe |
| 2000s | 81.9% | 80.9% | 1.0% | China |
| 2010s | 83.2% | 82.1% | 1.1% | China |
| 2020s | 83.6% | 83.4% | 0.2% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban and rural areas, China or Sao Tome and Principe?
- China, at 83.6% against 83.4% in Sao Tome and Principe as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between China and Sao Tome and Principe?
- 0.2%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Sao Tome and Principe?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do China and Sao Tome and Principe rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- China ranks 62nd and Sao Tome and Principe ranks 63rd of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.