Congo vs Japan: Share of population living in urban areas

Congo
91.7%
in 2020
Japan
91.1%
in 2020
Congo rank
24th
Japan rank
25th

Share of population living in urban areas over time

  • Congo
  • Japan
020406080100195019852020

How they compare

Congo currently reports 91.7% against 91.1% in Japan, a difference of 0.6%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Japan ahead.

Congo ranks 24th and Japan ranks 25th of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Congo averaged higher in 1 and Japan in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade Congo Japan Difference Ahead
1950s 73.0% 86.8% 13.7% Japan
1960s 77.3% 88.1% 10.8% Japan
1970s 81.8% 89.4% 7.5% Japan
1980s 85.1% 89.9% 4.8% Japan
1990s 85.2% 90.5% 5.3% Japan
2000s 85.7% 91.0% 5.2% Japan
2010s 88.5% 91.2% 2.6% Japan
2020s 91.7% 91.1% 0.6% Congo

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in urban areas, Congo or Japan?
Congo, at 91.7% against 91.1% in Japan as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas between Congo and Japan?
0.6%, with Congo ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Congo and Japan?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Congo and Japan rank globally for share of population living in urban areas?
Congo ranks 24th and Japan ranks 25th 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.