China vs United States: Urban area over the long-term
China
89,331 km² per grid cell
in 2025
United States
230,837 km² per grid cell
in 2025
China rank
2nd
United States rank
1st
Urban area over the long-term over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 230,837 km² per grid cell against 89,331 km² per grid cell in China, a difference of 141,506 km² per grid cell.
That makes United States's figure about 2.6 times China's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was China ahead.
China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, China averaged higher in 23 and United States in 17.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 527.06 km² per grid cell | 0.0222 km² per grid cell | 527.04 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1100s | 1,299 km² per grid cell | 0.0718 km² per grid cell | 1,299 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1200s | 1,485 km² per grid cell | 0.2387 km² per grid cell | 1,484 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1300s | 1,152 km² per grid cell | 0.7747 km² per grid cell | 1,151 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1400s | 1,026 km² per grid cell | 2.57 km² per grid cell | 1,024 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1500s | 1,709 km² per grid cell | 8.37 km² per grid cell | 1,701 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1600s | 1,978 km² per grid cell | 10.36 km² per grid cell | 1,967 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1700s | 1,719 km² per grid cell | 37.01 km² per grid cell | 1,682 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1710s | 1,799 km² per grid cell | 54.47 km² per grid cell | 1,744 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1720s | 2,066 km² per grid cell | 81.18 km² per grid cell | 1,985 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1730s | 2,196 km² per grid cell | 113.71 km² per grid cell | 2,083 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1740s | 2,472 km² per grid cell | 153.1 km² per grid cell | 2,319 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1750s | 3,083 km² per grid cell | 200.57 km² per grid cell | 2,882 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1760s | 3,407 km² per grid cell | 257.52 km² per grid cell | 3,149 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1770s | 3,806 km² per grid cell | 325.56 km² per grid cell | 3,480 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1780s | 4,766 km² per grid cell | 406.59 km² per grid cell | 4,360 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1790s | 5,165 km² per grid cell | 502.79 km² per grid cell | 4,662 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1800s | 5,048 km² per grid cell | 768.82 km² per grid cell | 4,280 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1810s | 5,912 km² per grid cell | 1,191 km² per grid cell | 4,720 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1820s | 6,098 km² per grid cell | 1,523 km² per grid cell | 4,575 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1830s | 6,782 km² per grid cell | 2,431 km² per grid cell | 4,351 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1840s | 7,246 km² per grid cell | 3,884 km² per grid cell | 3,362 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1850s | 7,645 km² per grid cell | 7,265 km² per grid cell | 379.64 km² per grid cell | China |
| 1860s | 7,590 km² per grid cell | 12,597 km² per grid cell | 5,007 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1870s | 6,505 km² per grid cell | 19,930 km² per grid cell | 13,425 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1880s | 6,647 km² per grid cell | 28,112 km² per grid cell | 21,465 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1890s | 6,924 km² per grid cell | 42,401 km² per grid cell | 35,477 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1900s | 7,450 km² per grid cell | 53,032 km² per grid cell | 45,582 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1910s | 7,958 km² per grid cell | 62,886 km² per grid cell | 54,928 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1920s | 8,910 km² per grid cell | 65,617 km² per grid cell | 56,708 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1930s | 9,691 km² per grid cell | 65,879 km² per grid cell | 56,188 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1940s | 11,721 km² per grid cell | 65,806 km² per grid cell | 54,084 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1950s | 22,480 km² per grid cell | 66,872 km² per grid cell | 44,392 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1960s | 26,860 km² per grid cell | 81,736 km² per grid cell | 54,876 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1970s | 27,030 km² per grid cell | 96,629 km² per grid cell | 69,599 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1980s | 27,030 km² per grid cell | 112,780 km² per grid cell | 85,750 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 1990s | 32,191 km² per grid cell | 139,296 km² per grid cell | 107,105 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 2000s | 48,877 km² per grid cell | 169,621 km² per grid cell | 120,743 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 2010s | 69,779 km² per grid cell | 197,048 km² per grid cell | 127,270 km² per grid cell | United States |
| 2020s | 85,191 km² per grid cell | 222,878 km² per grid cell | 137,687 km² per grid cell | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, China or United States?
- United States, at 230,837 km² per grid cell against 89,331 km² per grid cell in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between China and United States?
- 141,506 km² per grid cell, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do China and United States rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- China ranks 2nd and United States ranks 1st 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.