Eritrea vs Ethiopia: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
Eritrea
63.6%
in 2020
Ethiopia
64.4%
in 2020
Eritrea rank
169th
Ethiopia rank
167th
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
How they compare
Ethiopia currently reports 64.4% against 63.6% in Eritrea, a difference of 0.8%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Eritrea ahead.
Eritrea ranks 169th and Ethiopia ranks 167th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Eritrea averaged higher in 7 and Ethiopia in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Eritrea | Ethiopia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 50.4% | 39.7% | 10.7% | Eritrea |
| 1960s | 54.1% | 42.8% | 11.3% | Eritrea |
| 1970s | 59.3% | 47.6% | 11.7% | Eritrea |
| 1980s | 62.4% | 46.1% | 16.3% | Eritrea |
| 1990s | 63.2% | 49.2% | 13.9% | Eritrea |
| 2000s | 62.4% | 52.8% | 9.5% | Eritrea |
| 2010s | 63.0% | 58.3% | 4.7% | Eritrea |
| 2020s | 63.6% | 64.4% | 0.7% | Ethiopia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban and rural areas, Eritrea or Ethiopia?
- Ethiopia, at 64.4% against 63.6% in Eritrea as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between Eritrea and Ethiopia?
- 0.8%, with Ethiopia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Eritrea and Ethiopia?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Eritrea and Ethiopia rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Eritrea ranks 169th and Ethiopia ranks 167th 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.