Brazil vs China: Urban area over the long-term
Brazil
36,495 km² per grid cell
in 2025
China
89,331 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Brazil rank
4th
China rank
2nd
Urban area over the long-term over time
- Brazil
- China
How they compare
China currently reports 89,331 km² per grid cell against 36,495 km² per grid cell in Brazil, a difference of 52,836 km² per grid cell.
That makes China's figure about 2.4 times Brazil's.
Across all 108 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
Brazil ranks 4th and China ranks 2nd of 202 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 40 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0907 km² per grid cell | 527.06 km² per grid cell | 526.97 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1100s | 0.3016 km² per grid cell | 1,299 km² per grid cell | 1,299 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1200s | 0.9935 km² per grid cell | 1,485 km² per grid cell | 1,484 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1300s | 3.25 km² per grid cell | 1,152 km² per grid cell | 1,149 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1400s | 10.54 km² per grid cell | 1,026 km² per grid cell | 1,016 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1500s | 36.43 km² per grid cell | 1,709 km² per grid cell | 1,673 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1600s | 5.18 km² per grid cell | 1,978 km² per grid cell | 1,972 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1700s | 9.65 km² per grid cell | 1,719 km² per grid cell | 1,709 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1710s | 12.5 km² per grid cell | 1,799 km² per grid cell | 1,786 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1720s | 15.83 km² per grid cell | 2,066 km² per grid cell | 2,050 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1730s | 20.16 km² per grid cell | 2,196 km² per grid cell | 2,176 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1740s | 25.8 km² per grid cell | 2,472 km² per grid cell | 2,446 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1750s | 33.2 km² per grid cell | 3,083 km² per grid cell | 3,050 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1760s | 42.95 km² per grid cell | 3,407 km² per grid cell | 3,364 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1770s | 55.86 km² per grid cell | 3,806 km² per grid cell | 3,750 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1780s | 73 km² per grid cell | 4,766 km² per grid cell | 4,693 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1790s | 95.89 km² per grid cell | 5,165 km² per grid cell | 5,069 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1800s | 126.54 km² per grid cell | 5,048 km² per grid cell | 4,922 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1810s | 177.46 km² per grid cell | 5,912 km² per grid cell | 5,734 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1820s | 238.69 km² per grid cell | 6,098 km² per grid cell | 5,859 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1830s | 331.98 km² per grid cell | 6,782 km² per grid cell | 6,450 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1840s | 441.38 km² per grid cell | 7,246 km² per grid cell | 6,805 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1850s | 569.25 km² per grid cell | 7,645 km² per grid cell | 7,076 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1860s | 718.31 km² per grid cell | 7,590 km² per grid cell | 6,872 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1870s | 891.83 km² per grid cell | 6,505 km² per grid cell | 5,613 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1880s | 1,087 km² per grid cell | 6,647 km² per grid cell | 5,560 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1890s | 1,478 km² per grid cell | 6,924 km² per grid cell | 5,446 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1900s | 1,962 km² per grid cell | 7,450 km² per grid cell | 5,489 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1910s | 2,706 km² per grid cell | 7,958 km² per grid cell | 5,252 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1920s | 4,087 km² per grid cell | 8,910 km² per grid cell | 4,822 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1930s | 5,752 km² per grid cell | 9,691 km² per grid cell | 3,939 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1940s | 5,752 km² per grid cell | 11,721 km² per grid cell | 5,969 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1950s | 6,550 km² per grid cell | 22,480 km² per grid cell | 15,929 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1960s | 7,749 km² per grid cell | 26,860 km² per grid cell | 19,111 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1970s | 9,862 km² per grid cell | 27,030 km² per grid cell | 17,168 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1980s | 13,904 km² per grid cell | 27,030 km² per grid cell | 13,127 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1990s | 18,966 km² per grid cell | 32,191 km² per grid cell | 13,225 km² per grid cell | China |
| 2000s | 25,166 km² per grid cell | 48,877 km² per grid cell | 23,711 km² per grid cell | China |
| 2010s | 31,133 km² per grid cell | 69,779 km² per grid cell | 38,646 km² per grid cell | China |
| 2020s | 35,284 km² per grid cell | 85,191 km² per grid cell | 49,907 km² per grid cell | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Brazil or China?
- China, at 89,331 km² per grid cell against 36,495 km² per grid cell in Brazil as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Brazil and China?
- 52,836 km² per grid cell, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and China?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Brazil and China rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- Brazil ranks 4th and China ranks 2nd 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.