Hong Kong vs Singapore: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Hong Kong
78.4%
in 2020
Singapore
84.8%
in 2020
Hong Kong rank
5th
Singapore rank
2nd
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents over time
- Hong Kong
- Singapore
How they compare
Singapore currently reports 84.8% against 78.4% in Hong Kong, a difference of 6.4%.
That makes Singapore's figure about 1.1 times Hong Kong's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Hong Kong ahead.
Hong Kong ranks 5th and Singapore ranks 2nd of 180 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Hong Kong averaged higher in 1 and Singapore in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Hong Kong | Singapore | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 60.1% | 39.3% | 20.8% | Hong Kong |
| 1960s | 60.9% | 84.5% | 23.6% | Singapore |
| 1970s | 64.9% | 87.0% | 22.2% | Singapore |
| 1980s | 64.5% | 89.1% | 24.6% | Singapore |
| 1990s | 64.4% | 88.4% | 24.0% | Singapore |
| 2000s | 64.1% | 87.4% | 23.2% | Singapore |
| 2010s | 78.6% | 86.0% | 7.4% | Singapore |
| 2020s | 78.4% | 84.8% | 6.3% | Singapore |
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, Hong Kong or Singapore?
- Singapore, at 84.8% against 78.4% in Hong Kong as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents between Hong Kong and Singapore?
- 6.4%, with Singapore ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Hong Kong and Singapore?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Hong Kong and Singapore rank globally for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Hong Kong ranks 5th and Singapore ranks 2nd 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
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.