China vs Germany: Urban area over the long-term
China
89,331 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Germany
27,052 km² per grid cell
in 2025
China rank
2nd
Germany rank
5th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- China
- Germany
How they compare
China currently reports 89,331 km² per grid cell against 27,052 km² per grid cell in Germany, a difference of 62,279 km² per grid cell.
That makes China's figure about 3.3 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was China ahead.
China ranks 2nd and Germany ranks 5th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, China averaged higher in 39 and Germany in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 527.06 km² per grid cell | 88.98 km² per grid cell | 438.08 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1100s | 1,299 km² per grid cell | 152.54 km² per grid cell | 1,146 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1200s | 1,485 km² per grid cell | 343.21 km² per grid cell | 1,141 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1300s | 1,152 km² per grid cell | 772.23 km² per grid cell | 379.69 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1400s | 1,026 km² per grid cell | 836.59 km² per grid cell | 189.78 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1500s | 1,709 km² per grid cell | 855.72 km² per grid cell | 853.31 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1600s | 1,978 km² per grid cell | 1,183 km² per grid cell | 794.87 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1700s | 1,719 km² per grid cell | 1,161 km² per grid cell | 558.19 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1710s | 1,799 km² per grid cell | 1,310 km² per grid cell | 488.24 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1720s | 2,066 km² per grid cell | 1,472 km² per grid cell | 593.5 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1730s | 2,196 km² per grid cell | 1,647 km² per grid cell | 549.28 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1740s | 2,472 km² per grid cell | 1,836 km² per grid cell | 635.88 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1750s | 3,083 km² per grid cell | 2,039 km² per grid cell | 1,044 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1760s | 3,407 km² per grid cell | 2,260 km² per grid cell | 1,146 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1770s | 3,806 km² per grid cell | 2,498 km² per grid cell | 1,308 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1780s | 4,766 km² per grid cell | 2,753 km² per grid cell | 2,013 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1790s | 5,165 km² per grid cell | 3,026 km² per grid cell | 2,138 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1800s | 5,048 km² per grid cell | 3,316 km² per grid cell | 1,733 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1810s | 5,912 km² per grid cell | 3,619 km² per grid cell | 2,292 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1820s | 6,098 km² per grid cell | 3,810 km² per grid cell | 2,289 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1830s | 6,782 km² per grid cell | 4,286 km² per grid cell | 2,496 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1840s | 7,246 km² per grid cell | 4,669 km² per grid cell | 2,577 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1850s | 7,645 km² per grid cell | 4,840 km² per grid cell | 2,805 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1860s | 7,590 km² per grid cell | 4,840 km² per grid cell | 2,750 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1870s | 6,505 km² per grid cell | 4,821 km² per grid cell | 1,684 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1880s | 6,647 km² per grid cell | 4,796 km² per grid cell | 1,851 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1890s | 6,924 km² per grid cell | 4,771 km² per grid cell | 2,153 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1900s | 7,450 km² per grid cell | 5,726 km² per grid cell | 1,724 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1910s | 7,958 km² per grid cell | 7,193 km² per grid cell | 764.87 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1920s | 8,910 km² per grid cell | 7,797 km² per grid cell | 1,112 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1930s | 9,691 km² per grid cell | 9,608 km² per grid cell | 83.79 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1940s | 11,721 km² per grid cell | 12,596 km² per grid cell | 875.2 km² per grid cell | Germany |
| 1950s | 22,480 km² per grid cell | 16,629 km² per grid cell | 5,851 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1960s | 26,860 km² per grid cell | 18,791 km² per grid cell | 8,069 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1970s | 27,030 km² per grid cell | 20,204 km² per grid cell | 6,826 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1980s | 27,030 km² per grid cell | 20,779 km² per grid cell | 6,251 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1990s | 32,191 km² per grid cell | 22,372 km² per grid cell | 9,819 km² per grid cell | China |
| 2000s | 48,877 km² per grid cell | 23,566 km² per grid cell | 25,311 km² per grid cell | China |
| 2010s | 69,779 km² per grid cell | 25,067 km² per grid cell | 44,712 km² per grid cell | China |
| 2020s | 85,191 km² per grid cell | 26,610 km² per grid cell | 58,581 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, China or Germany?
- China, at 89,331 km² per grid cell against 27,052 km² per grid cell in Germany as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between China and Germany?
- 62,279 km² per grid cell, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Germany?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do China and Germany rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- China ranks 2nd and Germany ranks 5th 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.