Urban area over the long-term by country

Total built-up area of a country over time.

Countries reporting
195
Highest
230,837 km² per grid cell
United States
Lowest
0.8694 km² per grid cell
Anguilla
Median
849.6 km² per grid cell
Years covered
1026
1000–2025
Data points
21,816

What the numbers show

Urban area over the long-term is currently reported for 195 countries. The highest value is 230,837 km² per grid cell in United States; the lowest is 0.8694 km² per grid cell in Anguilla.

The median across all reporting countries is 849.6 km² per grid cell, and the mean is 4,394 km² per grid cell.

Over the past decade 191 countries rose and 2 fell. The largest increase was in Guinea-Bissau (up 98.2%), and the largest decrease in Saint Pierre and Miquelon (down 1.8%).

Urban area over the long-term: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 United States 230,837 km² per grid cell 2025 up 16.3% volatile
2 China 89,331 km² per grid cell 2025 up 26.4% volatile
3 India 42,636 km² per grid cell 2025 up 40.5% volatile
4 Brazil 36,495 km² per grid cell 2025 up 16.3% volatile
5 Germany 27,052 km² per grid cell 2025 up 7.4% volatile
6 Australia 20,727 km² per grid cell 2025 up 21.9% volatile
7 Russia 19,935 km² per grid cell 2025 up 9.7% volatile
8 Indonesia 17,283 km² per grid cell 2025 up 31.2% volatile
9 Mexico 17,056 km² per grid cell 2025 up 18.5% volatile
10 France 15,122 km² per grid cell 2025 up 9.4% volatile
11 United Kingdom 14,143 km² per grid cell 2025 up 7.2% volatile
12 Japan 13,979 km² per grid cell 2025 up 5.2% volatile
13 Italy 13,580 km² per grid cell 2025 up 10.6% rising
14 Nigeria 11,202 km² per grid cell 2025 up 45.9% volatile
15 Canada 9,053 km² per grid cell 2025 up 17.5% volatile
16 Pakistan 8,527 km² per grid cell 2025 up 41.4% volatile
17 Iran 8,281 km² per grid cell 2025 up 24.2% volatile
18 South Africa 8,172 km² per grid cell 2025 up 20.9% volatile
19 Turkey 7,698 km² per grid cell 2025 up 18.3% volatile
20 Argentina 7,576 km² per grid cell 2025 up 11.6% volatile
21 Spain 6,890 km² per grid cell 2025 up 8.8% volatile
22 Malaysia 6,818 km² per grid cell 2025 up 23.6% volatile
23 Ukraine 6,747 km² per grid cell 2025 up 3.8% volatile
24 Saudi Arabia 6,551 km² per grid cell 2025 up 28.5% volatile
25 Poland 6,328 km² per grid cell 2025 up 8.4% volatile
26 Philippines 6,191 km² per grid cell 2025 up 23.5% volatile
27 Democratic Republic of Congo 5,799 km² per grid cell 2025 up 56.6% volatile
28 Thailand 5,324 km² per grid cell 2025 up 27.1% volatile
29 Belgium 5,207 km² per grid cell 2025 up 5.5% volatile
30 Ghana 4,600 km² per grid cell 2025 up 36.1% volatile
31 Algeria 4,598 km² per grid cell 2025 up 26.6% volatile
32 Venezuela 4,456 km² per grid cell 2025 up 17.2% volatile
33 Egypt 4,434 km² per grid cell 2025 up 32.5% volatile
34 Sudan 4,431 km² per grid cell 2025 up 56.2% volatile
35 Netherlands 4,359 km² per grid cell 2025 up 7.6% volatile
36 Vietnam 4,339 km² per grid cell 2025 up 33.1% volatile
37 Uzbekistan 4,208 km² per grid cell 2025 up 29.3% volatile
38 Iraq 3,477 km² per grid cell 2025 up 32.9% volatile
39 Kazakhstan 3,421 km² per grid cell 2025 up 22.9% volatile
40 Yemen 3,250 km² per grid cell 2025 up 65.9% volatile
41 Tanzania 3,054 km² per grid cell 2025 up 65.8% volatile
42 Sweden 2,988 km² per grid cell 2025 up 12.9% volatile
43 Puerto Rico 2,845 km² per grid cell 2025 up 1.0% volatile
44 South Korea 2,837 km² per grid cell 2025 up 9.9% volatile
45 Colombia 2,817 km² per grid cell 2025 up 18.9% volatile
46 Zimbabwe 2,675 km² per grid cell 2025 up 23.4% volatile
47 Denmark 2,630 km² per grid cell 2025 up 10.2% volatile
48 Bangladesh 2,570 km² per grid cell 2025 up 44.7% volatile
49 Chile 2,558 km² per grid cell 2025 up 15.5% volatile
50 East Timor 2,471 km² per grid cell 2025 up 38.4% volatile
51 New Zealand 2,471 km² per grid cell 2025 up 9.6% volatile
52 Hungary 2,380 km² per grid cell 2025 up 8.6% volatile
53 Ecuador 2,359 km² per grid cell 2025 up 19.4% volatile
54 Angola 2,310 km² per grid cell 2025 up 49.6% volatile
55 United Arab Emirates 2,302 km² per grid cell 2025 up 20.3% volatile
56 Ethiopia 2,256 km² per grid cell 2025 up 55.7% volatile
57 Myanmar 2,250 km² per grid cell 2025 up 28.8% volatile
58 Taiwan 2,214 km² per grid cell 2025 up 4.4% volatile
59 Morocco 2,151 km² per grid cell 2025 up 25.7% volatile
60 Czechia 2,147 km² per grid cell 2025 up 12.7% volatile
61 Portugal 2,142 km² per grid cell 2025 up 10.7% volatile
62 Finland 2,128 km² per grid cell 2025 up 8.6% volatile
63 Guatemala 2,127 km² per grid cell 2025 up 29.5% volatile
64 Peru 2,049 km² per grid cell 2025 up 12.5% volatile
65 Norway 1,987 km² per grid cell 2025 up 15.6% volatile
66 Romania 1,985 km² per grid cell 2025 up 8.3% volatile
67 Uganda 1,870 km² per grid cell 2025 up 68.9% volatile
68 Mali 1,814 km² per grid cell 2025 up 59.4% volatile
69 Switzerland 1,802 km² per grid cell 2025 up 12.5% volatile
70 Botswana 1,792 km² per grid cell 2025 up 33.9% volatile
71 Austria 1,765 km² per grid cell 2025 up 8.7% volatile
72 Cote d'Ivoire 1,697 km² per grid cell 2025 up 25.9% volatile
73 Cambodia 1,688 km² per grid cell 2025 up 35.3% volatile
74 Cameroon 1,647 km² per grid cell 2025 up 40.2% volatile
75 Syria 1,606 km² per grid cell 2025 up 29.3% volatile
76 Israel 1,604 km² per grid cell 2025 up 16.9% volatile
77 Azerbaijan 1,594 km² per grid cell 2025 up 24.2% volatile
78 Belarus 1,590 km² per grid cell 2025 up 4.3% volatile
79 Kenya 1,567 km² per grid cell 2025 up 40.6% volatile
80 Mozambique 1,550 km² per grid cell 2025 up 48.0% volatile
81 Burkina Faso 1,502 km² per grid cell 2025 up 59.4% volatile
82 Bolivia 1,418 km² per grid cell 2025 up 21.8% volatile
83 Zambia 1,407 km² per grid cell 2025 up 46.5% volatile
84 Oman 1,399 km² per grid cell 2025 up 35.4% volatile
85 Libya 1,243 km² per grid cell 2025 up 16.3% volatile
86 Benin 1,225 km² per grid cell 2025 up 50.7% volatile
87 Tunisia 1,211 km² per grid cell 2025 up 17.7% volatile
88 Liberia 1,198 km² per grid cell 2025 up 45.4% volatile
90 Cuba 1,140 km² per grid cell 2025 up 3.0% volatile
91 Jordan 1,109 km² per grid cell 2025 up 33.3% volatile
92 Slovakia 1,086 km² per grid cell 2025 up 12.2% volatile
93 Costa Rica 1,053 km² per grid cell 2025 up 18.5% volatile
94 Bulgaria 960.21 km² per grid cell 2025 up 2.6% volatile
95 North Korea 954.94 km² per grid cell 2025 up 15.6% volatile
96 Afghanistan 947.56 km² per grid cell 2025 up 52.1% volatile
97 Greece 894.56 km² per grid cell 2025 up 15.0% volatile
98 Dominican Republic 881.77 km² per grid cell 2025 up 20.3% volatile
99 Kuwait 849.6 km² per grid cell 2025 up 21.1% volatile
100 Guinea 837.49 km² per grid cell 2025 up 43.2% volatile
101 Niger 831.29 km² per grid cell 2025 up 54.3% volatile
102 Panama 822.71 km² per grid cell 2025 up 22.7% volatile
103 Honduras 814.22 km² per grid cell 2025 up 23.6% volatile
104 Lebanon 798.64 km² per grid cell 2025 up 13.6% volatile
105 Turkmenistan 770.36 km² per grid cell 2025 up 25.4% volatile
106 Chad 768.16 km² per grid cell 2025 up 53.9% volatile
107 Haiti 738.22 km² per grid cell 2025 up 37.1% volatile
108 Croatia 736.15 km² per grid cell 2025 up 13.2% volatile
109 Malawi 699.6 km² per grid cell 2025 up 54.6% volatile
110 Nepal 680.09 km² per grid cell 2025 up 39.3% volatile
111 Kyrgyzstan 677.13 km² per grid cell 2025 up 25.0% volatile
112 Uruguay 673.19 km² per grid cell 2025 up 5.9% volatile
113 Togo 663.58 km² per grid cell 2025 up 31.1% volatile
114 Sierra Leone 633.37 km² per grid cell 2025 up 64.3% volatile
115 Georgia 614.35 km² per grid cell 2025 up 43.9% volatile
116 Paraguay 613.64 km² per grid cell 2025 up 32.0% volatile
117 Lithuania 603.33 km² per grid cell 2025 up 3.2% volatile
118 Somalia 597.81 km² per grid cell 2025 up 40.2% volatile
119 Namibia 563.77 km² per grid cell 2025 up 37.3% volatile
120 Senegal 563.31 km² per grid cell 2025 up 37.4% volatile
121 El Salvador 539.22 km² per grid cell 2025 up 12.4% volatile
122 Western Sahara 526.56 km² per grid cell 2025 up 15.4% volatile
123 Nicaragua 500.71 km² per grid cell 2025 up 24.1% volatile
124 Qatar 499.79 km² per grid cell 2025 up 32.0% volatile
125 Congo 495.9 km² per grid cell 2025 up 19.6% volatile
126 Sri Lanka 481.3 km² per grid cell 2025 up 24.0% volatile
127 Madagascar 464.32 km² per grid cell 2025 up 62.1% volatile
128 Tajikistan 463.97 km² per grid cell 2025 up 34.7% volatile
129 Jamaica 461.16 km² per grid cell 2025 up 13.0% volatile
130 Bosnia and Herzegovina 460.69 km² per grid cell 2025 up 15.2% volatile
131 Central African Republic 448 km² per grid cell 2025 up 37.7% volatile
132 Singapore 447.96 km² per grid cell 2025 unchanged volatile
133 Mauritania 434.94 km² per grid cell 2025 up 47.7% volatile
134 Gabon 431.82 km² per grid cell 2025 up 32.2% volatile
135 Latvia 421.38 km² per grid cell 2025 up 8.4% volatile
136 Gambia 416.31 km² per grid cell 2025 up 36.4% volatile
137 Burundi 390.75 km² per grid cell 2025 up 63.3% volatile
138 Rwanda 369.67 km² per grid cell 2025 up 49.9% volatile
139 Moldova 368.49 km² per grid cell 2025 up 5.8% volatile
140 Estonia 365.48 km² per grid cell 2025 up 3.6% volatile
142 Slovenia 354.69 km² per grid cell 2025 up 17.6% volatile
143 Mongolia 324.03 km² per grid cell 2025 up 25.2% volatile
144 Guyana 321.92 km² per grid cell 2025 up 14.0% volatile
145 Armenia 321.12 km² per grid cell 2025 up 3.7% volatile
146 Albania 315.76 km² per grid cell 2025 up 18.4% volatile
147 Lesotho 314.83 km² per grid cell 2025 up 34.6% volatile
148 Hong Kong 305.85 km² per grid cell 2025 up 5.5% volatile
149 Cyprus 302.65 km² per grid cell 2025 up 35.9% volatile
150 North Macedonia 299.33 km² per grid cell 2025 up 13.2% volatile
151 Brunei 244.05 km² per grid cell 2025 up 27.2% volatile
152 Guinea-Bissau 240.36 km² per grid cell 2025 up 98.2% volatile
153 Reunion 217.46 km² per grid cell 2025 up 13.0% volatile
154 Laos 201.75 km² per grid cell 2025 up 36.5% volatile
155 Bahamas 171.55 km² per grid cell 2025 up 6.4% volatile
156 Papua New Guinea 168.91 km² per grid cell 2025 up 44.5% volatile
157 Eritrea 155.22 km² per grid cell 2025 up 59.5% volatile
158 Suriname 153.68 km² per grid cell 2025 up 15.9% volatile
159 Fiji 152.36 km² per grid cell 2025 up 17.4% volatile
160 Eswatini 152.09 km² per grid cell 2025 up 37.7% volatile
161 Mauritius 142.21 km² per grid cell 2025 up 42.1% volatile
162 Cape Verde 128.33 km² per grid cell 2025 up 28.9% volatile
163 Netherlands Antilles 99.92 km² per grid cell 2025 up 10.7% volatile
165 Djibouti 88.12 km² per grid cell 2025 up 22.1% volatile
166 Iceland 84.86 km² per grid cell 2025 up 16.4% volatile
167 Barbados 81.6 km² per grid cell 2025 up 17.0% volatile
168 New Caledonia 78.22 km² per grid cell 2025 up 20.8% volatile
169 Comoros 68.99 km² per grid cell 2025 up 45.7% volatile
170 Equatorial Guinea 64.16 km² per grid cell 2025 up 48.2% volatile
171 Sao Tome and Principe 61.99 km² per grid cell 2025 up 42.5% volatile
172 Bhutan 56.15 km² per grid cell 2025 up 47.0% volatile
173 French Guiana 51.9 km² per grid cell 2025 up 28.1% volatile
174 Andorra 49.24 km² per grid cell 2025 up 5.7% volatile
176 Bahrain 44.31 km² per grid cell 2025 up 40.7% volatile
177 Solomon Islands 43.46 km² per grid cell 2025 up 46.7% volatile
178 United States Virgin Islands 41.74 km² per grid cell 2025 up 8.6% volatile
179 American Samoa 39.47 km² per grid cell 2025 down 0.8% volatile
180 Vanuatu 35.17 km² per grid cell 2025 up 61.3% volatile
181 Trinidad and Tobago 35.03 km² per grid cell 2025 up 33.7% volatile
182 Aruba 31.05 km² per grid cell 2025 unchanged volatile
183 Greenland 30.16 km² per grid cell 2025 up 8.5% volatile
184 Belize 25.88 km² per grid cell 2025 up 22.3% volatile
185 Turks and Caicos Islands 21.01 km² per grid cell 2025 up 26.5% volatile
186 Samoa 13.46 km² per grid cell 2025 up 17.7% volatile
188 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 12.63 km² per grid cell 2025 up 17.2% volatile
189 Grenada 12.37 km² per grid cell 2025 up 33.0% volatile
190 Svalbard and Jan Mayen 8.7 km² per grid cell 2025 up 4.2% volatile
191 Faroe Islands 6.63 km² per grid cell 2025 up 18.3% volatile
192 Tonga 6.56 km² per grid cell 2025 up 23.6% volatile
193 Montserrat 6.34 km² per grid cell 2025 up 25.9% volatile
194 Dominica 4.97 km² per grid cell 2025 up 11.3% volatile
195 Antigua and Barbuda 4.4 km² per grid cell 2025 up 22.6% volatile
196 Saint Lucia 1.83 km² per grid cell 2025 up 23.3% volatile
197 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1.14 km² per grid cell 2025 up 28.7% volatile
198 Falkland Islands 1.05 km² per grid cell 2025 up 4.9% volatile
199 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.9099 km² per grid cell 2025 down 1.8% rising
200 Anguilla 0.8694 km² per grid cell 2025 up 8.5% volatile

About this data

Indicator
Urban area over the long-term
Unit
km² per grid cell
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,816 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Total built-up area of a country over time.