Mexico vs United Kingdom: Urban area over the long-term

Mexico
17,056 km² per grid cell
in 2025
United Kingdom
14,143 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Mexico rank
9th
United Kingdom rank
11th

Urban area over the long-term over time

  • Mexico
  • United Kingdom
05.0k10.0k15.0k100015122025

How they compare

Mexico currently reports 17,056 km² per grid cell against 14,143 km² per grid cell in United Kingdom, a difference of 2,913 km² per grid cell.

That makes Mexico's figure about 1.2 times United Kingdom's.

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

Mexico ranks 9th and United Kingdom ranks 11th of 202 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, Mexico averaged higher in 2 and United Kingdom in 38.

Head to head by decade

Decade Mexico United Kingdom Difference Ahead
1000s 0.0465 km² per grid cell 27.1 km² per grid cell 27.05 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1100s 0.1572 km² per grid cell 52.65 km² per grid cell 52.49 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1200s 0.5255 km² per grid cell 65.71 km² per grid cell 65.19 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1300s 1.74 km² per grid cell 88.29 km² per grid cell 86.55 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1400s 5.71 km² per grid cell 39.58 km² per grid cell 33.87 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1500s 18.6 km² per grid cell 39.58 km² per grid cell 20.98 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1600s 2.28 km² per grid cell 39.58 km² per grid cell 37.3 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1700s 27.38 km² per grid cell 39.58 km² per grid cell 12.2 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1710s 31.78 km² per grid cell 93.19 km² per grid cell 61.4 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1720s 39.14 km² per grid cell 164.48 km² per grid cell 125.35 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1730s 47.94 km² per grid cell 243.67 km² per grid cell 195.73 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1740s 58.46 km² per grid cell 331.46 km² per grid cell 273 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1750s 71.01 km² per grid cell 428.76 km² per grid cell 357.75 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1760s 85.96 km² per grid cell 475.08 km² per grid cell 389.13 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1770s 103.72 km² per grid cell 524.72 km² per grid cell 421 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1780s 124.8 km² per grid cell 577.95 km² per grid cell 453.15 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1790s 149.79 km² per grid cell 635.1 km² per grid cell 485.31 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1800s 179.37 km² per grid cell 696.54 km² per grid cell 517.17 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1810s 214.35 km² per grid cell 783.4 km² per grid cell 569.05 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1820s 255.66 km² per grid cell 1,098 km² per grid cell 842.15 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1830s 304.4 km² per grid cell 1,384 km² per grid cell 1,079 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1840s 361.85 km² per grid cell 1,819 km² per grid cell 1,457 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1850s 429.5 km² per grid cell 2,071 km² per grid cell 1,642 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1860s 509.1 km² per grid cell 2,446 km² per grid cell 1,937 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1870s 602.67 km² per grid cell 2,934 km² per grid cell 2,332 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1880s 712.57 km² per grid cell 3,547 km² per grid cell 2,834 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1890s 960.73 km² per grid cell 4,193 km² per grid cell 3,232 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1900s 1,260 km² per grid cell 4,967 km² per grid cell 3,707 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1910s 1,590 km² per grid cell 5,805 km² per grid cell 4,215 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1920s 1,659 km² per grid cell 6,459 km² per grid cell 4,800 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1930s 1,961 km² per grid cell 7,139 km² per grid cell 5,178 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1940s 2,107 km² per grid cell 7,809 km² per grid cell 5,702 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1950s 2,659 km² per grid cell 8,823 km² per grid cell 6,164 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1960s 3,295 km² per grid cell 9,288 km² per grid cell 5,993 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1970s 4,608 km² per grid cell 10,229 km² per grid cell 5,621 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1980s 6,528 km² per grid cell 11,246 km² per grid cell 4,718 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
1990s 8,845 km² per grid cell 11,669 km² per grid cell 2,824 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
2000s 11,424 km² per grid cell 12,278 km² per grid cell 853.5 km² per grid cell United Kingdom
2010s 14,281 km² per grid cell 13,156 km² per grid cell 1,125 km² per grid cell Mexico
2020s 16,368 km² per grid cell 13,915 km² per grid cell 2,453 km² per grid cell Mexico

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Mexico or United Kingdom?
Mexico, at 17,056 km² per grid cell against 14,143 km² per grid cell in United Kingdom as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Mexico and United Kingdom?
2,913 km² per grid cell, with Mexico ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Mexico and United Kingdom?
108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do Mexico and United Kingdom rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
Mexico ranks 9th 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.

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Mexico vs United Kingdom: Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid, drawing on HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/urban-area-long-term/mexico/united-kingdom/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/urban-area-long-term/mexico/united-kingdom/">Mexico vs United Kingdom: Urban area over the long-term</a> — Statizoid

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

Total built-up area of a country over time.