France vs Italy: Urban area over the long-term
France
15,122 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Italy
13,580 km² per grid cell
in 2025
France rank
10th
Italy rank
13th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- France
- Italy
How they compare
France currently reports 15,122 km² per grid cell against 13,580 km² per grid cell in Italy, a difference of 1,542 km² per grid cell.
That makes France's figure about 1.1 times Italy's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Italy ahead.
France ranks 10th and Italy ranks 13th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, France averaged higher in 4 and Italy in 36.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Italy | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 174.71 km² per grid cell | 423.82 km² per grid cell | 249.11 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1100s | 283.04 km² per grid cell | 529.77 km² per grid cell | 246.73 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1200s | 444.95 km² per grid cell | 831.33 km² per grid cell | 386.38 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1300s | 654.98 km² per grid cell | 2,180 km² per grid cell | 1,525 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1400s | 502.33 km² per grid cell | 1,148 km² per grid cell | 645.23 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1500s | 748.11 km² per grid cell | 1,540 km² per grid cell | 792.31 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1600s | 874.88 km² per grid cell | 1,990 km² per grid cell | 1,116 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1700s | 874.88 km² per grid cell | 1,857 km² per grid cell | 982 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1710s | 874.88 km² per grid cell | 1,921 km² per grid cell | 1,046 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1720s | 978.4 km² per grid cell | 1,994 km² per grid cell | 1,016 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1730s | 1,105 km² per grid cell | 2,070 km² per grid cell | 965.31 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1740s | 1,220 km² per grid cell | 2,149 km² per grid cell | 928.96 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1750s | 1,327 km² per grid cell | 2,231 km² per grid cell | 904.23 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1760s | 1,426 km² per grid cell | 2,316 km² per grid cell | 890.07 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1770s | 1,521 km² per grid cell | 2,404 km² per grid cell | 882.55 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1780s | 1,616 km² per grid cell | 2,496 km² per grid cell | 879.09 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1790s | 1,713 km² per grid cell | 2,590 km² per grid cell | 876.3 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1800s | 1,815 km² per grid cell | 2,683 km² per grid cell | 867.79 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1810s | 2,020 km² per grid cell | 2,738 km² per grid cell | 718.27 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1820s | 2,225 km² per grid cell | 2,793 km² per grid cell | 568.67 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1830s | 2,410 km² per grid cell | 2,931 km² per grid cell | 521.65 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1840s | 2,643 km² per grid cell | 3,038 km² per grid cell | 394.22 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1850s | 2,905 km² per grid cell | 3,151 km² per grid cell | 246.55 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1860s | 3,102 km² per grid cell | 3,239 km² per grid cell | 136.84 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1870s | 3,289 km² per grid cell | 4,006 km² per grid cell | 716.87 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1880s | 3,544 km² per grid cell | 4,612 km² per grid cell | 1,068 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1890s | 3,784 km² per grid cell | 5,124 km² per grid cell | 1,340 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1900s | 4,016 km² per grid cell | 5,287 km² per grid cell | 1,270 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1910s | 4,282 km² per grid cell | 5,341 km² per grid cell | 1,058 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1920s | 4,260 km² per grid cell | 5,405 km² per grid cell | 1,145 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1930s | 4,733 km² per grid cell | 5,405 km² per grid cell | 672.8 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1940s | 4,924 km² per grid cell | 5,523 km² per grid cell | 599.44 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1950s | 5,699 km² per grid cell | 6,586 km² per grid cell | 887.43 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1960s | 7,316 km² per grid cell | 7,762 km² per grid cell | 446.18 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1970s | 8,779 km² per grid cell | 9,086 km² per grid cell | 306.84 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1980s | 9,585 km² per grid cell | 9,894 km² per grid cell | 308.85 km² per grid cell | Italy |
| 1990s | 10,365 km² per grid cell | 10,269 km² per grid cell | 95.87 km² per grid cell | France |
| 2000s | 11,882 km² per grid cell | 10,986 km² per grid cell | 895.66 km² per grid cell | France |
| 2010s | 13,760 km² per grid cell | 12,177 km² per grid cell | 1,583 km² per grid cell | France |
| 2020s | 14,804 km² per grid cell | 13,275 km² per grid cell | 1,528 km² per grid cell | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, France or Italy?
- France, at 15,122 km² per grid cell against 13,580 km² per grid cell in Italy as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between France and Italy?
- 1,542 km² per grid cell, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Italy?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do France and Italy rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- France ranks 10th and Italy ranks 13th 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.