France vs Russia: Urban area over the long-term
France
15,122 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Russia
19,935 km² per grid cell
in 2025
France rank
10th
Russia rank
7th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- France
- Russia
How they compare
Russia currently reports 19,935 km² per grid cell against 15,122 km² per grid cell in France, a difference of 4,813 km² per grid cell.
That makes Russia's figure about 1.3 times France's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was France ahead.
France ranks 10th and Russia ranks 7th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, France averaged higher in 31 and Russia in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 174.71 km² per grid cell | 0.0115 km² per grid cell | 174.69 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1100s | 283.04 km² per grid cell | 0.0519 km² per grid cell | 282.98 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1200s | 444.95 km² per grid cell | 0.2334 km² per grid cell | 444.71 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1300s | 654.98 km² per grid cell | 0.7246 km² per grid cell | 654.25 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1400s | 502.33 km² per grid cell | 2.17 km² per grid cell | 500.15 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1500s | 748.11 km² per grid cell | 8.4 km² per grid cell | 739.7 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1600s | 874.88 km² per grid cell | 31.51 km² per grid cell | 843.37 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1700s | 874.88 km² per grid cell | 107.12 km² per grid cell | 767.76 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1710s | 874.88 km² per grid cell | 125.19 km² per grid cell | 749.69 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1720s | 978.4 km² per grid cell | 143.25 km² per grid cell | 835.15 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1730s | 1,105 km² per grid cell | 161.32 km² per grid cell | 943.45 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1740s | 1,220 km² per grid cell | 179.38 km² per grid cell | 1,041 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1750s | 1,327 km² per grid cell | 197.45 km² per grid cell | 1,129 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1760s | 1,426 km² per grid cell | 215.52 km² per grid cell | 1,210 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1770s | 1,521 km² per grid cell | 233.58 km² per grid cell | 1,288 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1780s | 1,616 km² per grid cell | 251.65 km² per grid cell | 1,365 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1790s | 1,713 km² per grid cell | 269.71 km² per grid cell | 1,444 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1800s | 1,815 km² per grid cell | 287.75 km² per grid cell | 1,527 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1810s | 2,020 km² per grid cell | 296.87 km² per grid cell | 1,723 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1820s | 2,225 km² per grid cell | 395.38 km² per grid cell | 1,829 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1830s | 2,410 km² per grid cell | 526.44 km² per grid cell | 1,883 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1840s | 2,643 km² per grid cell | 771.9 km² per grid cell | 1,871 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1850s | 2,905 km² per grid cell | 1,022 km² per grid cell | 1,883 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1860s | 3,102 km² per grid cell | 1,361 km² per grid cell | 1,741 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1870s | 3,289 km² per grid cell | 1,694 km² per grid cell | 1,596 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1880s | 3,544 km² per grid cell | 2,056 km² per grid cell | 1,488 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1890s | 3,784 km² per grid cell | 2,454 km² per grid cell | 1,329 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1900s | 4,016 km² per grid cell | 2,777 km² per grid cell | 1,239 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1910s | 4,282 km² per grid cell | 3,590 km² per grid cell | 692.7 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1920s | 4,260 km² per grid cell | 3,642 km² per grid cell | 618.78 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1930s | 4,733 km² per grid cell | 4,473 km² per grid cell | 259.89 km² per grid cell | France |
| 1940s | 4,924 km² per grid cell | 6,698 km² per grid cell | 1,774 km² per grid cell | Russia |
| 1950s | 5,699 km² per grid cell | 7,968 km² per grid cell | 2,269 km² per grid cell | Russia |
| 1960s | 7,316 km² per grid cell | 11,300 km² per grid cell | 3,984 km² per grid cell | Russia |
| 1970s | 8,779 km² per grid cell | 14,294 km² per grid cell | 5,515 km² per grid cell | Russia |
| 1980s | 9,585 km² per grid cell | 17,144 km² per grid cell | 7,559 km² per grid cell | Russia |
| 1990s | 10,365 km² per grid cell | 18,134 km² per grid cell | 7,769 km² per grid cell | Russia |
| 2000s | 11,882 km² per grid cell | 17,425 km² per grid cell | 5,543 km² per grid cell | Russia |
| 2010s | 13,760 km² per grid cell | 18,097 km² per grid cell | 4,337 km² per grid cell | Russia |
| 2020s | 14,804 km² per grid cell | 19,490 km² per grid cell | 4,686 km² per grid cell | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, France or Russia?
- Russia, at 19,935 km² per grid cell against 15,122 km² per grid cell in France as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between France and Russia?
- 4,813 km² per grid cell, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Russia?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do France and Russia rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- France ranks 10th and Russia ranks 7th 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.