Chile vs Colombia: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents

Chile
33.9%
in 2020
Colombia
35.4%
in 2020
Chile rank
24th
Colombia rank
22nd

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents over time

  • Chile
  • Colombia
010203040195019852020

How they compare

Colombia currently reports 35.4% against 33.9% in Chile, a difference of 1.5%.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Chile ahead.

Chile ranks 24th and Colombia ranks 22nd of 180 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Chile averaged higher in 7 and Colombia in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Chile Colombia Difference Ahead
1950s 20.4% 4.3% 16.1% Chile
1960s 23.1% 14.4% 8.8% Chile
1970s 25.8% 24.3% 1.4% Chile
1980s 30.3% 29.5% 0.8% Chile
1990s 32.2% 31.3% 0.8% Chile
2000s 34.6% 32.6% 2.0% Chile
2010s 34.7% 34.6% 0.1% Chile
2020s 33.9% 35.4% 1.5% Colombia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents, Chile or Colombia?
Colombia, at 35.4% against 33.9% in Chile as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents between Chile and Colombia?
1.5%, with Colombia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Chile and Colombia?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Chile and Colombia rank globally for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Chile ranks 24th and Colombia ranks 22nd of 180 countries.
Where does this data come from?
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 2,505 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.