Iraq vs Pakistan: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
Iraq
87.5%
in 2020
Pakistan
88.0%
in 2020
Iraq rank
40th
Pakistan rank
39th
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- Iraq
- Pakistan
How they compare
Pakistan currently reports 88.0% against 87.5% in Iraq, a difference of 0.5%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Iraq ahead.
Iraq ranks 40th and Pakistan ranks 39th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Iraq averaged higher in 7 and Pakistan in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iraq | Pakistan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 59.2% | 40.9% | 18.3% | Iraq |
| 1960s | 63.9% | 48.2% | 15.8% | Iraq |
| 1970s | 70.6% | 56.1% | 14.4% | Iraq |
| 1980s | 74.0% | 63.5% | 10.5% | Iraq |
| 1990s | 77.0% | 72.9% | 4.1% | Iraq |
| 2000s | 81.9% | 79.9% | 1.9% | Iraq |
| 2010s | 85.4% | 84.7% | 0.7% | Iraq |
| 2020s | 87.5% | 88.0% | 0.5% | Pakistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban and rural areas, Iraq or Pakistan?
- Pakistan, at 88.0% against 87.5% in Iraq as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between Iraq and Pakistan?
- 0.5%, with Pakistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iraq and Pakistan?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Iraq and Pakistan rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Iraq ranks 40th and Pakistan ranks 39th 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.