Afghanistan vs North Korea: Urban area over the long-term
Afghanistan
947.56 km² per grid cell
in 2025
North Korea
954.94 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
96th
North Korea rank
95th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- Afghanistan
- North Korea
How they compare
North Korea currently reports 954.94 km² per grid cell against 947.56 km² per grid cell in Afghanistan, a difference of 7.38 km² per grid cell.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Afghanistan ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 96th and North Korea ranks 95th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 1 and North Korea in 39.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | North Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0005 km² per grid cell | 0.0004 km² per grid cell | 0 km² per grid cell | Afghanistan |
| 1100s | 0.0015 km² per grid cell | 0.0016 km² per grid cell | 0.0001 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1200s | 0.0046 km² per grid cell | 0.0064 km² per grid cell | 0.0018 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1300s | 0.0097 km² per grid cell | 0.0145 km² per grid cell | 0.0048 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1400s | 0.0312 km² per grid cell | 0.0508 km² per grid cell | 0.0196 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1500s | 0.0999 km² per grid cell | 0.1741 km² per grid cell | 0.0742 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1600s | 0.3746 km² per grid cell | 0.653 km² per grid cell | 0.2784 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1700s | 1.12 km² per grid cell | 2.45 km² per grid cell | 1.32 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1710s | 2.08 km² per grid cell | 2.38 km² per grid cell | 0.3004 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1720s | 2.39 km² per grid cell | 2.92 km² per grid cell | 0.5301 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1730s | 2.75 km² per grid cell | 3.59 km² per grid cell | 0.8363 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1740s | 3.17 km² per grid cell | 4.41 km² per grid cell | 1.24 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1750s | 3.64 km² per grid cell | 5.41 km² per grid cell | 1.77 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1760s | 4.19 km² per grid cell | 6.65 km² per grid cell | 2.45 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1770s | 4.82 km² per grid cell | 8.16 km² per grid cell | 3.34 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1780s | 5.55 km² per grid cell | 10.02 km² per grid cell | 4.47 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1790s | 6.38 km² per grid cell | 12.31 km² per grid cell | 5.93 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1800s | 7.35 km² per grid cell | 15.12 km² per grid cell | 7.77 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1810s | 8.45 km² per grid cell | 18.57 km² per grid cell | 10.11 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1820s | 9.72 km² per grid cell | 22.8 km² per grid cell | 13.07 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1830s | 11.3 km² per grid cell | 27.07 km² per grid cell | 15.76 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1840s | 13.42 km² per grid cell | 31.73 km² per grid cell | 18.3 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1850s | 15.94 km² per grid cell | 37.15 km² per grid cell | 21.21 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1860s | 18.93 km² per grid cell | 43.36 km² per grid cell | 24.43 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1870s | 22.48 km² per grid cell | 50.07 km² per grid cell | 27.59 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1880s | 27.09 km² per grid cell | 56.28 km² per grid cell | 29.19 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1890s | 33.01 km² per grid cell | 60.46 km² per grid cell | 27.45 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1900s | 40.24 km² per grid cell | 60.5 km² per grid cell | 20.26 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1910s | 49.03 km² per grid cell | 60.5 km² per grid cell | 11.46 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1920s | 60 km² per grid cell | 67.72 km² per grid cell | 7.73 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1930s | 72.73 km² per grid cell | 76.39 km² per grid cell | 3.66 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1940s | 86.64 km² per grid cell | 92.56 km² per grid cell | 5.92 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1950s | 116.91 km² per grid cell | 141.33 km² per grid cell | 24.42 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1960s | 159.84 km² per grid cell | 231.47 km² per grid cell | 71.63 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1970s | 211.91 km² per grid cell | 381.86 km² per grid cell | 169.95 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1980s | 199.12 km² per grid cell | 482.89 km² per grid cell | 283.77 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 1990s | 245.38 km² per grid cell | 605.22 km² per grid cell | 359.84 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 2000s | 379.15 km² per grid cell | 711.69 km² per grid cell | 332.54 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 2010s | 609.39 km² per grid cell | 818.94 km² per grid cell | 209.54 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
| 2020s | 851.1 km² per grid cell | 927.36 km² per grid cell | 76.26 km² per grid cell | North Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Afghanistan or North Korea?
- North Korea, at 954.94 km² per grid cell against 947.56 km² per grid cell in Afghanistan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Afghanistan and North Korea?
- 7.38 km² per grid cell, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and North Korea?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Afghanistan and North Korea rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- Afghanistan ranks 96th and North Korea ranks 95th of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total built-up area of a country over time.