Sweden vs Uganda: Share of population living in urban areas

Sweden
68.8%
in 2020
Uganda
69.6%
in 2020
Sweden rank
148th
Uganda rank
145th

Share of population living in urban areas over time

  • Sweden
  • Uganda
204060195019852020

How they compare

Uganda currently reports 69.6% against 68.8% in Sweden, a difference of 0.8%.

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

Sweden ranks 148th and Uganda ranks 145th of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Sweden averaged higher in 7 and Uganda in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Sweden Uganda Difference Ahead
1950s 60.3% 15.5% 44.9% Sweden
1960s 61.5% 20.2% 41.3% Sweden
1970s 62.6% 26.0% 36.6% Sweden
1980s 62.4% 30.7% 31.7% Sweden
1990s 63.4% 39.3% 24.1% Sweden
2000s 65.2% 48.5% 16.7% Sweden
2010s 67.2% 58.7% 8.5% Sweden
2020s 68.8% 69.6% 0.7% Uganda

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in urban areas, Sweden or Uganda?
Uganda, at 69.6% against 68.8% in Sweden as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas between Sweden and Uganda?
0.8%, with Uganda ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Sweden and Uganda?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Sweden and Uganda rank globally for share of population living in urban areas?
Sweden ranks 148th and Uganda ranks 145th 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.