Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 86.6% in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
86.6%
World rank
44th
of 236 countries
All-time high
87.9%
in 1975
All-time low
82.1%
in 1955
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 83.5 %1955: 82.1 %1960: 83.7 %1965: 85.2 %1970: 86.7 %1975: 87.9 %1980: 87.5 %1985: 86.8 %1990: 86.7 %1995: 86.9 %2000: 87 %2005: 87.1 %2010: 87.1 %2015: 86.8 %2020: 86.6 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban and rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of is 86.6%, measured in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 87.9% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 82.1%, in 1955.

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 44th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1950 to 2020.
Year % Change
1950 83.5%
1955 82.1% -1.6%
1960 83.7% +1.9%
1965 85.2% +1.7%
1970 86.7% +1.8%
1975 87.9% +1.3%
1980 87.5% -0.5%
1985 86.8% -0.7%
1990 86.7% -0.2%
1995 86.9% +0.3%
2000 87.0% +0.2%
2005 87.1% +0.1%
2010 87.1% +0.1%
2015 86.8% -0.4%
2020 86.6% -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 82.8% 82.1% 83.5% 2
1960s 84.5% 83.7% 85.2% 2
1970s 87.3% 86.7% 87.9% 2
1980s 87.2% 86.8% 87.5% 2
1990s 86.8% 86.7% 86.9% 2
2000s 87.1% 87.0% 87.1% 2
2010s 87.0% 86.8% 87.1% 2
2020s 86.6% 86.6% 86.6% 1

Countries ranked near Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

  1. 41 Trinidad and Tobago 87.4% compare
  2. 42 Saint Barthelemy 87.2% compare
  3. 43 Viet Nam 86.9% compare
  4. 45 Barbados 86.4% compare
  5. 46 Comoros 86.3% compare
  6. 47 Uruguay 86.2% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

All data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 86.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
The highest recorded value was 87.9% in 1975.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
The lowest recorded value was 82.1% in 1955.
How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 44th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Korea, Democratic People's Republic of data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-people-living-in-urban-and-rural-areas-degurba/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban and rural 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.