Congo vs Western Sahara: Urban area over the long-term

Congo
495.9 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Western Sahara
526.56 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Congo rank
125th
Western Sahara rank
122nd

Urban area over the long-term over time

  • Congo
  • Western Sahara
0200400600100015122025

How they compare

Western Sahara currently reports 526.56 km² per grid cell against 495.9 km² per grid cell in Congo, a difference of 30.66 km² per grid cell.

That makes Western Sahara's figure about 1.1 times Congo's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Congo ahead.

Congo ranks 125th and Western Sahara ranks 122nd of 202 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, Congo averaged higher in 34 and Western Sahara in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade Congo Western Sahara Difference Ahead
1000s 0.0003 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 0.0003 km² per grid cell Congo
1100s 0.0009 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 0.0009 km² per grid cell Congo
1200s 0.0029 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 0.0029 km² per grid cell Congo
1300s 0.0101 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 0.0101 km² per grid cell Congo
1400s 0.0346 km² per grid cell 0.0001 km² per grid cell 0.0345 km² per grid cell Congo
1500s 0.1186 km² per grid cell 0.0003 km² per grid cell 0.1183 km² per grid cell Congo
1600s 0.4067 km² per grid cell 0.0016 km² per grid cell 0.4052 km² per grid cell Congo
1700s 1.39 km² per grid cell 0.007 km² per grid cell 1.39 km² per grid cell Congo
1710s 1.42 km² per grid cell 0.0103 km² per grid cell 1.41 km² per grid cell Congo
1720s 1.68 km² per grid cell 0.0129 km² per grid cell 1.67 km² per grid cell Congo
1730s 1.98 km² per grid cell 0.0162 km² per grid cell 1.97 km² per grid cell Congo
1740s 2.34 km² per grid cell 0.0204 km² per grid cell 2.32 km² per grid cell Congo
1750s 2.75 km² per grid cell 0.0255 km² per grid cell 2.73 km² per grid cell Congo
1760s 3.24 km² per grid cell 0.032 km² per grid cell 3.21 km² per grid cell Congo
1770s 3.81 km² per grid cell 0.0402 km² per grid cell 3.77 km² per grid cell Congo
1780s 4.47 km² per grid cell 0.0504 km² per grid cell 4.42 km² per grid cell Congo
1790s 5.25 km² per grid cell 0.0632 km² per grid cell 5.18 km² per grid cell Congo
1800s 6.15 km² per grid cell 0.0793 km² per grid cell 6.07 km² per grid cell Congo
1810s 7.21 km² per grid cell 0.0994 km² per grid cell 7.11 km² per grid cell Congo
1820s 8.45 km² per grid cell 0.1253 km² per grid cell 8.32 km² per grid cell Congo
1830s 9.89 km² per grid cell 0.1579 km² per grid cell 9.73 km² per grid cell Congo
1840s 11.57 km² per grid cell 0.1991 km² per grid cell 11.37 km² per grid cell Congo
1850s 13.53 km² per grid cell 0.2507 km² per grid cell 13.28 km² per grid cell Congo
1860s 15.46 km² per grid cell 0.3151 km² per grid cell 15.15 km² per grid cell Congo
1870s 18.76 km² per grid cell 0.3976 km² per grid cell 18.37 km² per grid cell Congo
1880s 23.22 km² per grid cell 0.4914 km² per grid cell 22.73 km² per grid cell Congo
1890s 28.45 km² per grid cell 0.5811 km² per grid cell 27.87 km² per grid cell Congo
1900s 30.88 km² per grid cell 0.6413 km² per grid cell 30.24 km² per grid cell Congo
1910s 31.67 km² per grid cell 0.6595 km² per grid cell 31.01 km² per grid cell Congo
1920s 32.9 km² per grid cell 1.28 km² per grid cell 31.62 km² per grid cell Congo
1930s 39.07 km² per grid cell 2.55 km² per grid cell 36.53 km² per grid cell Congo
1940s 40.63 km² per grid cell 5.39 km² per grid cell 35.24 km² per grid cell Congo
1950s 42.97 km² per grid cell 17.92 km² per grid cell 25.05 km² per grid cell Congo
1960s 54.08 km² per grid cell 50.91 km² per grid cell 3.18 km² per grid cell Congo
1970s 82.4 km² per grid cell 140.03 km² per grid cell 57.63 km² per grid cell Western Sahara
1980s 136.6 km² per grid cell 307.98 km² per grid cell 171.38 km² per grid cell Western Sahara
1990s 204.07 km² per grid cell 350.47 km² per grid cell 146.4 km² per grid cell Western Sahara
2000s 282.9 km² per grid cell 359.54 km² per grid cell 76.64 km² per grid cell Western Sahara
2010s 403.66 km² per grid cell 452.2 km² per grid cell 48.55 km² per grid cell Western Sahara
2020s 477.6 km² per grid cell 513.02 km² per grid cell 35.42 km² per grid cell Western Sahara

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Congo or Western Sahara?
Western Sahara, at 526.56 km² per grid cell against 495.9 km² per grid cell in Congo as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Congo and Western Sahara?
30.66 km² per grid cell, with Western Sahara ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Congo and Western Sahara?
108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do Congo and Western Sahara rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
Congo ranks 125th and Western Sahara ranks 122nd 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.

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Congo vs Western Sahara: Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid, drawing on HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/urban-area-long-term/congo-rep/western-sahara/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/urban-area-long-term/congo-rep/western-sahara/">Congo vs Western Sahara: Urban area over the long-term</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Urban area over the long-term
Unit
km² per grid cell
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,816 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Total built-up area of a country over time.