Japan vs United Kingdom: Urban area over the long-term
Japan
13,979 km² per grid cell
in 2025
United Kingdom
14,143 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Japan rank
12th
United Kingdom rank
11th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- Japan
- United Kingdom
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 14,143 km² per grid cell against 13,979 km² per grid cell in Japan, a difference of 164 km² per grid cell.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 12th and United Kingdom ranks 11th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 15 and United Kingdom in 25.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 83.38 km² per grid cell | 27.1 km² per grid cell | 56.29 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1100s | 17.02 km² per grid cell | 52.65 km² per grid cell | 35.63 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1200s | 26.35 km² per grid cell | 65.71 km² per grid cell | 39.36 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1300s | 45.09 km² per grid cell | 88.29 km² per grid cell | 43.2 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1400s | 86.16 km² per grid cell | 39.58 km² per grid cell | 46.58 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1500s | 170.93 km² per grid cell | 39.58 km² per grid cell | 131.35 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1600s | 358.43 km² per grid cell | 39.58 km² per grid cell | 318.85 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1700s | 628.27 km² per grid cell | 39.58 km² per grid cell | 588.69 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1710s | 675.08 km² per grid cell | 93.19 km² per grid cell | 581.89 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1720s | 664.37 km² per grid cell | 164.48 km² per grid cell | 499.89 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1730s | 649.32 km² per grid cell | 243.67 km² per grid cell | 405.65 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1740s | 629.03 km² per grid cell | 331.46 km² per grid cell | 297.57 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1750s | 602.97 km² per grid cell | 428.76 km² per grid cell | 174.2 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1760s | 567.2 km² per grid cell | 475.08 km² per grid cell | 92.11 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1770s | 526.91 km² per grid cell | 524.72 km² per grid cell | 2.19 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 1780s | 483.65 km² per grid cell | 577.95 km² per grid cell | 94.31 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1790s | 439.36 km² per grid cell | 635.1 km² per grid cell | 195.75 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1800s | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 696.54 km² per grid cell | 300.48 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1810s | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 783.4 km² per grid cell | 387.34 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1820s | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 1,098 km² per grid cell | 701.76 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1830s | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 1,384 km² per grid cell | 987.71 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 1,819 km² per grid cell | 1,423 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,071 km² per grid cell | 1,675 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,446 km² per grid cell | 2,050 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 396.06 km² per grid cell | 2,934 km² per grid cell | 2,538 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 404.29 km² per grid cell | 3,547 km² per grid cell | 3,142 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 450.7 km² per grid cell | 4,193 km² per grid cell | 3,742 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 1,344 km² per grid cell | 4,967 km² per grid cell | 3,623 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 1,640 km² per grid cell | 5,805 km² per grid cell | 4,165 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 1,984 km² per grid cell | 6,459 km² per grid cell | 4,476 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 2,603 km² per grid cell | 7,139 km² per grid cell | 4,536 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 3,187 km² per grid cell | 7,809 km² per grid cell | 4,622 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 5,042 km² per grid cell | 8,823 km² per grid cell | 3,781 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 6,725 km² per grid cell | 9,288 km² per grid cell | 2,563 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 9,069 km² per grid cell | 10,229 km² per grid cell | 1,159 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 10,704 km² per grid cell | 11,246 km² per grid cell | 542.38 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 11,979 km² per grid cell | 11,669 km² per grid cell | 310 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 2000s | 12,606 km² per grid cell | 12,278 km² per grid cell | 327.88 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 2010s | 13,224 km² per grid cell | 13,156 km² per grid cell | 68.54 km² per grid cell | Japan |
| 2020s | 13,841 km² per grid cell | 13,915 km² per grid cell | 74.4 km² per grid cell | United Kingdom |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Japan or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom, at 14,143 km² per grid cell against 13,979 km² per grid cell in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Japan and United Kingdom?
- 164 km² per grid cell, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and United Kingdom?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Japan and United Kingdom rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- Japan ranks 12th and United Kingdom ranks 11th 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.