Chile vs Colombia: Share of population living in urban areas

Chile
81.8%
in 2020
Colombia
81.5%
in 2020
Chile rank
75th
Colombia rank
76th

Share of population living in urban areas over time

  • Chile
  • Colombia
020406080195019852020

How they compare

Chile currently reports 81.8% against 81.5% in Colombia, a difference of 0.3%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Chile ahead.

Chile ranks 75th and Colombia ranks 76th of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Chile averaged higher in 5 and Colombia in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Chile Colombia Difference Ahead
1950s 58.6% 58.2% 0.4% Chile
1960s 63.9% 65.0% 1.1% Colombia
1970s 68.2% 70.9% 2.7% Colombia
1980s 71.3% 71.8% 0.4% Colombia
1990s 73.5% 73.0% 0.5% Chile
2000s 77.8% 77.2% 0.6% Chile
2010s 81.0% 79.8% 1.2% Chile
2020s 81.8% 81.5% 0.3% Chile

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in urban areas, Chile or Colombia?
Chile, at 81.8% against 81.5% in Colombia as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas between Chile and Colombia?
0.3%, with Chile ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Chile and Colombia?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Chile and Colombia rank globally for share of population living in urban areas?
Chile ranks 75th and Colombia ranks 76th 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

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

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.