Canada vs Iceland: Share of population living in urban areas
Canada
76.2%
in 2020
Iceland
75.9%
in 2020
Canada rank
102nd
Iceland rank
105th
Share of population living in urban areas over time
- Canada
- Iceland
How they compare
Canada currently reports 76.2% against 75.9% in Iceland, a difference of 0.3%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Canada has been ahead every year.
Canada ranks 102nd and Iceland ranks 105th of 236 countries.
Canada has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | Iceland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 60.3% | 46.5% | 13.8% | Canada |
| 1960s | 64.8% | 52.4% | 12.4% | Canada |
| 1970s | 67.6% | 56.7% | 10.9% | Canada |
| 1980s | 69.4% | 61.7% | 7.7% | Canada |
| 1990s | 71.8% | 63.6% | 8.2% | Canada |
| 2000s | 73.6% | 69.0% | 4.6% | Canada |
| 2010s | 75.3% | 74.0% | 1.3% | Canada |
| 2020s | 76.2% | 75.9% | 0.4% | Canada |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban areas, Canada or Iceland?
- Canada, at 76.2% against 75.9% in Iceland as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas between Canada and Iceland?
- 0.3%, with Canada ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Iceland?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Canada and Iceland rank globally for share of population living in urban areas?
- Canada ranks 102nd and Iceland ranks 105th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.