Iceland vs Switzerland: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
Iceland
75.9%
in 2020
Switzerland
76.0%
in 2020
Iceland rank
105th
Switzerland rank
104th
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- Iceland
- Switzerland
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 76.0% against 75.9% in Iceland, a difference of 0.1%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Switzerland has been ahead every year.
Iceland ranks 105th and Switzerland ranks 104th of 236 countries.
Switzerland has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.5% | 60.8% | 14.4% | Switzerland |
| 1960s | 52.4% | 64.2% | 11.8% | Switzerland |
| 1970s | 56.7% | 66.9% | 10.2% | Switzerland |
| 1980s | 61.7% | 67.2% | 5.5% | Switzerland |
| 1990s | 63.6% | 69.6% | 6.1% | Switzerland |
| 2000s | 69.0% | 71.8% | 2.8% | Switzerland |
| 2010s | 74.0% | 74.6% | 0.6% | Switzerland |
| 2020s | 75.9% | 76.0% | 0.2% | Switzerland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban and rural areas, Iceland or Switzerland?
- Switzerland, at 76.0% against 75.9% in Iceland as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between Iceland and Switzerland?
- 0.1%, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Switzerland?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Iceland and Switzerland rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Iceland ranks 105th and Switzerland ranks 104th 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.