South Korea vs Sweden: Urban area over the long-term
South Korea
2,837 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Sweden
2,988 km² per grid cell
in 2025
South Korea rank
44th
Sweden rank
42nd
Urban area over the long-term over time
- South Korea
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 2,988 km² per grid cell against 2,837 km² per grid cell in South Korea, a difference of 151 km² per grid cell.
That makes Sweden's figure about 1.1 times South Korea's.
Across all 108 years both countries report, Sweden has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 44th and Sweden ranks 42nd of 202 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 40 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0029 km² per grid cell | 0.0132 km² per grid cell | 0.0104 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1100s | 0.0104 km² per grid cell | 0.0467 km² per grid cell | 0.0363 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1200s | 0.0414 km² per grid cell | 0.161 km² per grid cell | 0.1195 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1300s | 0.0932 km² per grid cell | 0.9838 km² per grid cell | 0.8905 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1400s | 0.3262 km² per grid cell | 1.16 km² per grid cell | 0.8372 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1500s | 1.12 km² per grid cell | 4.09 km² per grid cell | 2.97 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1600s | 4.19 km² per grid cell | 9.56 km² per grid cell | 5.37 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1700s | 15.73 km² per grid cell | 42.47 km² per grid cell | 26.74 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1710s | 19.49 km² per grid cell | 68.34 km² per grid cell | 48.85 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1720s | 22.87 km² per grid cell | 91.4 km² per grid cell | 68.53 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1730s | 26.84 km² per grid cell | 122.38 km² per grid cell | 95.54 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1740s | 31.49 km² per grid cell | 147.46 km² per grid cell | 115.97 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1750s | 36.95 km² per grid cell | 165.95 km² per grid cell | 129 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1760s | 43.36 km² per grid cell | 190.37 km² per grid cell | 147 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1770s | 50.88 km² per grid cell | 210.52 km² per grid cell | 159.64 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1780s | 59.71 km² per grid cell | 223 km² per grid cell | 163.28 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1790s | 70.07 km² per grid cell | 235.57 km² per grid cell | 165.5 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1800s | 82.22 km² per grid cell | 255.74 km² per grid cell | 173.51 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1810s | 96.49 km² per grid cell | 262.46 km² per grid cell | 165.98 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1820s | 113.23 km² per grid cell | 284.34 km² per grid cell | 171.12 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1830s | 125.49 km² per grid cell | 321.35 km² per grid cell | 195.86 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1840s | 137.71 km² per grid cell | 354.57 km² per grid cell | 216.85 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1850s | 151.13 km² per grid cell | 401.88 km² per grid cell | 250.75 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1860s | 167.33 km² per grid cell | 457.13 km² per grid cell | 289.8 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1870s | 185.23 km² per grid cell | 516.88 km² per grid cell | 331.65 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1880s | 203.81 km² per grid cell | 594.58 km² per grid cell | 390.77 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1890s | 223.92 km² per grid cell | 653.97 km² per grid cell | 430.04 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1900s | 244.39 km² per grid cell | 736.52 km² per grid cell | 492.13 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1910s | 264.35 km² per grid cell | 832.77 km² per grid cell | 568.42 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1920s | 307.91 km² per grid cell | 920.81 km² per grid cell | 612.89 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1930s | 325.83 km² per grid cell | 1,028 km² per grid cell | 702.21 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1940s | 325.83 km² per grid cell | 1,122 km² per grid cell | 795.97 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1950s | 346.09 km² per grid cell | 1,418 km² per grid cell | 1,072 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1960s | 517.88 km² per grid cell | 1,706 km² per grid cell | 1,188 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1970s | 910.19 km² per grid cell | 1,976 km² per grid cell | 1,066 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1980s | 1,445 km² per grid cell | 2,075 km² per grid cell | 630.63 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 1990s | 1,983 km² per grid cell | 2,225 km² per grid cell | 242.74 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 2000s | 2,332 km² per grid cell | 2,359 km² per grid cell | 27.26 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 2010s | 2,572 km² per grid cell | 2,630 km² per grid cell | 58.44 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
| 2020s | 2,751 km² per grid cell | 2,902 km² per grid cell | 151.6 km² per grid cell | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, South Korea or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 2,988 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 Sweden?
- 151 km² per grid cell, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Sweden?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and Sweden rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- South Korea ranks 44th and Sweden ranks 42nd 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.