Lesotho vs Palau: Share of population living in urban areas

Lesotho
37.7%
in 2020
Palau
39.3%
in 2020
Lesotho rank
220th
Palau rank
218th

Share of population living in urban areas over time

  • Lesotho
  • Palau
020406080195019852020

How they compare

Palau currently reports 39.3% against 37.7% in Lesotho, a difference of 1.6%.

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

Lesotho ranks 220th and Palau ranks 218th of 236 countries.

Palau has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Lesotho Palau Difference Ahead
1950s 14.0% 32.7% 18.8% Palau
1960s 16.5% 66.3% 49.9% Palau
1970s 20.3% 66.9% 46.5% Palau
1980s 28.7% 69.1% 40.4% Palau
1990s 35.2% 71.9% 36.8% Palau
2000s 37.2% 62.8% 25.6% Palau
2010s 36.9% 57.5% 20.7% Palau
2020s 37.7% 39.3% 1.5% Palau

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in urban areas, Lesotho or Palau?
Palau, at 39.3% against 37.7% in Lesotho as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas between Lesotho and Palau?
1.6%, with Palau ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and Palau?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Lesotho and Palau rank globally for share of population living in urban areas?
Lesotho ranks 220th and Palau ranks 218th 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.