Saudi Arabia vs United Kingdom: Do more people live in urban or rural areas?
Saudi Arabia
84.6%
in 2025
United Kingdom
83.3%
in 2025
Saudi Arabia rank
57th
United Kingdom rank
60th
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? over time
- Saudi Arabia
- United Kingdom
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 84.6% against 83.3% in United Kingdom, a difference of 1.3%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Saudi Arabia ranks 57th and United Kingdom ranks 60th of 238 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Saudi Arabia averaged higher in 4 and United Kingdom in 36.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Saudi Arabia | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0% | 2.4% | 2.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1100s | 0.0% | 3.1% | 3.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1200s | 0.0% | 2.2% | 2.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 2.2% | 2.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1400s | 0.1% | 2.5% | 2.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1500s | 0.2% | 2.1% | 1.9% | United Kingdom |
| 1600s | 0.7% | 2.1% | 1.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1700s | 2.2% | 2.1% | 0.1% | Saudi Arabia |
| 1710s | 2.5% | 6.3% | 3.9% | United Kingdom |
| 1720s | 2.7% | 10.5% | 7.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1730s | 3.0% | 14.8% | 11.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1740s | 3.2% | 19.0% | 15.7% | United Kingdom |
| 1750s | 3.5% | 23.2% | 19.7% | United Kingdom |
| 1760s | 3.9% | 24.3% | 20.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1770s | 4.2% | 25.4% | 21.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1780s | 4.7% | 26.5% | 21.8% | United Kingdom |
| 1790s | 5.1% | 27.6% | 22.5% | United Kingdom |
| 1800s | 5.6% | 28.7% | 23.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1810s | 6.1% | 32.1% | 25.9% | United Kingdom |
| 1820s | 6.7% | 35.4% | 28.7% | United Kingdom |
| 1830s | 7.3% | 38.8% | 31.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1840s | 8.0% | 42.1% | 34.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1850s | 8.8% | 45.5% | 36.7% | United Kingdom |
| 1860s | 9.6% | 48.8% | 39.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1870s | 10.6% | 52.2% | 41.6% | United Kingdom |
| 1880s | 11.6% | 55.5% | 44.0% | United Kingdom |
| 1890s | 12.7% | 58.9% | 46.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1900s | 13.9% | 62.2% | 48.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1910s | 15.2% | 65.6% | 50.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1920s | 16.6% | 68.9% | 52.3% | United Kingdom |
| 1930s | 18.2% | 72.3% | 54.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1940s | 19.9% | 75.6% | 55.7% | United Kingdom |
| 1950s | 25.3% | 79.7% | 54.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1960s | 38.6% | 77.7% | 39.1% | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 57.4% | 77.5% | 20.2% | United Kingdom |
| 1980s | 72.0% | 78.4% | 6.4% | United Kingdom |
| 1990s | 78.6% | 78.7% | 0.0% | United Kingdom |
| 2000s | 80.9% | 80.4% | 0.5% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2010s | 82.9% | 81.8% | 1.1% | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 84.2% | 83.1% | 1.1% | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher do more people live in urban or rural areas?, Saudi Arabia or United Kingdom?
- Saudi Arabia, at 84.6% against 83.3% in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in do more people live in urban or rural areas? between Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom?
- 1.3%, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom rank globally for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
- Saudi Arabia ranks 57th and United Kingdom ranks 60th of 238 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.