China vs India: Urban area over the long-term
China
89,331 km² per grid cell
in 2025
India
42,636 km² per grid cell
in 2025
China rank
2nd
India rank
3rd
Urban area over the long-term over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 89,331 km² per grid cell against 42,636 km² per grid cell in India, a difference of 46,695 km² per grid cell.
That makes China's figure about 2.1 times India's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was India ahead.
China ranks 2nd and India ranks 3rd of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, China averaged higher in 23 and India in 17.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 527.06 km² per grid cell | 2,365 km² per grid cell | 1,837 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1100s | 1,299 km² per grid cell | 2,549 km² per grid cell | 1,250 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1200s | 1,485 km² per grid cell | 2,741 km² per grid cell | 1,256 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1300s | 1,152 km² per grid cell | 2,939 km² per grid cell | 1,787 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1400s | 1,026 km² per grid cell | 3,144 km² per grid cell | 2,118 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1500s | 1,709 km² per grid cell | 3,356 km² per grid cell | 1,647 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1600s | 1,978 km² per grid cell | 3,962 km² per grid cell | 1,984 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1700s | 1,719 km² per grid cell | 4,520 km² per grid cell | 2,801 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1710s | 1,799 km² per grid cell | 4,587 km² per grid cell | 2,788 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1720s | 2,066 km² per grid cell | 4,653 km² per grid cell | 2,587 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1730s | 2,196 km² per grid cell | 4,718 km² per grid cell | 2,521 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1740s | 2,472 km² per grid cell | 4,781 km² per grid cell | 2,309 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1750s | 3,083 km² per grid cell | 4,842 km² per grid cell | 1,759 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1760s | 3,407 km² per grid cell | 4,903 km² per grid cell | 1,496 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1770s | 3,806 km² per grid cell | 4,962 km² per grid cell | 1,156 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1780s | 4,766 km² per grid cell | 5,019 km² per grid cell | 252.7 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1790s | 5,165 km² per grid cell | 5,075 km² per grid cell | 89.76 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1800s | 5,048 km² per grid cell | 5,129 km² per grid cell | 80.95 km² per grid cell | India |
| 1810s | 5,912 km² per grid cell | 5,223 km² per grid cell | 688.81 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1820s | 6,098 km² per grid cell | 4,813 km² per grid cell | 1,285 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1830s | 6,782 km² per grid cell | 5,071 km² per grid cell | 1,710 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1840s | 7,246 km² per grid cell | 4,563 km² per grid cell | 2,684 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1850s | 7,645 km² per grid cell | 4,993 km² per grid cell | 2,652 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1860s | 7,590 km² per grid cell | 4,774 km² per grid cell | 2,816 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1870s | 6,505 km² per grid cell | 4,358 km² per grid cell | 2,147 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1880s | 6,647 km² per grid cell | 4,529 km² per grid cell | 2,118 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1890s | 6,924 km² per grid cell | 5,471 km² per grid cell | 1,453 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1900s | 7,450 km² per grid cell | 6,067 km² per grid cell | 1,384 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1910s | 7,958 km² per grid cell | 5,316 km² per grid cell | 2,641 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1920s | 8,910 km² per grid cell | 5,758 km² per grid cell | 3,151 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1930s | 9,691 km² per grid cell | 6,545 km² per grid cell | 3,147 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1940s | 11,721 km² per grid cell | 7,617 km² per grid cell | 4,104 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1950s | 22,480 km² per grid cell | 7,972 km² per grid cell | 14,507 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1960s | 26,860 km² per grid cell | 7,972 km² per grid cell | 18,887 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1970s | 27,030 km² per grid cell | 8,223 km² per grid cell | 18,807 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1980s | 27,030 km² per grid cell | 11,001 km² per grid cell | 16,030 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1990s | 32,191 km² per grid cell | 15,372 km² per grid cell | 16,819 km² per grid cell | China |
| 2000s | 48,877 km² per grid cell | 21,176 km² per grid cell | 27,701 km² per grid cell | China |
| 2010s | 69,779 km² per grid cell | 29,893 km² per grid cell | 39,885 km² per grid cell | China |
| 2020s | 85,191 km² per grid cell | 39,471 km² per grid cell | 45,720 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 India?
- China, at 89,331 km² per grid cell against 42,636 km² per grid cell in India as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between China and India?
- 46,695 km² per grid cell, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do China and India rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- China ranks 2nd and India ranks 3rd 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.