What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between South Korea and Puerto Rico?

8 km² per grid cell, with Puerto Rico ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Puerto Rico?

108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.

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.

South Korea vs Puerto Rico: Urban area over the long-term

South Korea

2,837 km² per grid cell

in 2025

Puerto Rico

2,845 km² per grid cell

in 2025

South Korea rank

44th

Puerto Rico rank

43rd

Urban area over the long-term over time

South Korea
Puerto Rico

How they compare

Puerto Rico currently reports 2,845 km² per grid cell against 2,837 km² per grid cell in South Korea, a difference of 8 km² per grid cell.

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

South Korea ranks 44th and Puerto Rico ranks 43rd of 202 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 23 and Puerto Rico in 17.

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Korea	Puerto Rico	Difference	Ahead
1000s	0.0029 km² per grid cell	0 km² per grid cell	0.0029 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1100s	0.0104 km² per grid cell	0.0001 km² per grid cell	0.0103 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1200s	0.0414 km² per grid cell	0.0005 km² per grid cell	0.0409 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1300s	0.0932 km² per grid cell	0.0022 km² per grid cell	0.091 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1400s	0.3262 km² per grid cell	0.0097 km² per grid cell	0.3165 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1500s	1.12 km² per grid cell	0.0439 km² per grid cell	1.07 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1600s	4.19 km² per grid cell	0.1973 km² per grid cell	4 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1700s	15.73 km² per grid cell	0.888 km² per grid cell	14.84 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1710s	19.49 km² per grid cell	1.3 km² per grid cell	18.18 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1720s	22.87 km² per grid cell	1.86 km² per grid cell	21.01 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1730s	26.84 km² per grid cell	2.66 km² per grid cell	24.18 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1740s	31.49 km² per grid cell	3.79 km² per grid cell	27.7 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1750s	36.95 km² per grid cell	5.41 km² per grid cell	31.55 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1760s	43.36 km² per grid cell	7.72 km² per grid cell	35.65 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1770s	50.88 km² per grid cell	11.01 km² per grid cell	39.87 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1780s	59.71 km² per grid cell	15.72 km² per grid cell	43.99 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1790s	70.07 km² per grid cell	22.43 km² per grid cell	47.64 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1800s	82.22 km² per grid cell	32.01 km² per grid cell	50.21 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1810s	96.49 km² per grid cell	45.68 km² per grid cell	50.81 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1820s	113.23 km² per grid cell	65.16 km² per grid cell	48.07 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1830s	125.49 km² per grid cell	86.03 km² per grid cell	39.45 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1840s	137.71 km² per grid cell	109.92 km² per grid cell	27.79 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1850s	151.13 km² per grid cell	149.53 km² per grid cell	1.6 km² per grid cell	South Korea
1860s	167.33 km² per grid cell	194.46 km² per grid cell	27.14 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1870s	185.23 km² per grid cell	241.82 km² per grid cell	56.59 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1880s	203.81 km² per grid cell	281.23 km² per grid cell	77.42 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1890s	223.92 km² per grid cell	304.38 km² per grid cell	80.46 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1900s	244.39 km² per grid cell	315.37 km² per grid cell	70.98 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1910s	264.35 km² per grid cell	347.69 km² per grid cell	83.34 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1920s	307.91 km² per grid cell	374.25 km² per grid cell	66.34 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1930s	325.83 km² per grid cell	407.64 km² per grid cell	81.8 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1940s	325.83 km² per grid cell	460.17 km² per grid cell	134.34 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1950s	346.09 km² per grid cell	604.8 km² per grid cell	258.71 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1960s	517.88 km² per grid cell	834.05 km² per grid cell	316.16 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1970s	910.19 km² per grid cell	1,198 km² per grid cell	287.84 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1980s	1,445 km² per grid cell	1,572 km² per grid cell	127.02 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
1990s	1,983 km² per grid cell	2,207 km² per grid cell	224.46 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
2000s	2,332 km² per grid cell	2,689 km² per grid cell	357.2 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
2010s	2,572 km² per grid cell	2,814 km² per grid cell	241.85 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico
2020s	2,751 km² per grid cell	2,851 km² per grid cell	99.95 km² per grid cell	Puerto Rico

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban area over the long-term, South Korea or Puerto Rico?: Puerto Rico, at 2,845 km² per grid cell against 2,837 km² per grid cell in South Korea as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between South Korea and Puerto Rico?: 8 km² per grid cell, with Puerto Rico ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Puerto Rico?: 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do South Korea and Puerto Rico rank globally for urban area over the long-term?: South Korea ranks 44th and Puerto Rico ranks 43rd 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

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: 07 August 2026

Total built-up area of a country over time.