Urban area over the long-term in China
China: Urban area over the long-term was 89,331 km² per grid cell in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
89,331 km² per grid cell
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
2nd
of 202 countries
All-time high
89,331 km² per grid cell
in 2025
All-time low
527.06 km² per grid cell
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Urban area over the long-term in China, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in km² per grid cell.
Analysis
In 2025, urban area over the long-term in China stood at 89,331 km² per grid cell. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban area over the long-term in China peaked at 89,331 km² per grid cell in 2025 and was at its lowest, 527.06 km² per grid cell, in 1000.
China ranks 2nd of 202 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 527.06 km² per grid cell | 527.06 km² per grid cell | 527.06 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1100s | 1,299 km² per grid cell | 1,299 km² per grid cell | 1,299 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1200s | 1,485 km² per grid cell | 1,485 km² per grid cell | 1,485 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1300s | 1,152 km² per grid cell | 1,152 km² per grid cell | 1,152 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1400s | 1,026 km² per grid cell | 1,026 km² per grid cell | 1,026 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1500s | 1,709 km² per grid cell | 1,709 km² per grid cell | 1,709 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1600s | 1,978 km² per grid cell | 1,978 km² per grid cell | 1,978 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1700s | 1,719 km² per grid cell | 1,719 km² per grid cell | 1,719 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1710s | 1,799 km² per grid cell | 1,799 km² per grid cell | 1,799 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1720s | 2,066 km² per grid cell | 2,066 km² per grid cell | 2,066 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1730s | 2,196 km² per grid cell | 2,196 km² per grid cell | 2,196 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1740s | 2,472 km² per grid cell | 2,472 km² per grid cell | 2,472 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1750s | 3,083 km² per grid cell | 3,083 km² per grid cell | 3,083 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1760s | 3,407 km² per grid cell | 3,407 km² per grid cell | 3,407 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1770s | 3,806 km² per grid cell | 3,806 km² per grid cell | 3,806 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1780s | 4,766 km² per grid cell | 4,766 km² per grid cell | 4,766 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1790s | 5,165 km² per grid cell | 5,165 km² per grid cell | 5,165 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1800s | 5,048 km² per grid cell | 5,048 km² per grid cell | 5,048 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1810s | 5,912 km² per grid cell | 5,912 km² per grid cell | 5,912 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1820s | 6,098 km² per grid cell | 6,098 km² per grid cell | 6,098 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1830s | 6,782 km² per grid cell | 6,782 km² per grid cell | 6,782 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1840s | 7,246 km² per grid cell | 7,246 km² per grid cell | 7,246 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1850s | 7,645 km² per grid cell | 7,645 km² per grid cell | 7,645 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1860s | 7,590 km² per grid cell | 7,590 km² per grid cell | 7,590 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1870s | 6,505 km² per grid cell | 6,505 km² per grid cell | 6,505 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1880s | 6,647 km² per grid cell | 6,647 km² per grid cell | 6,647 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1890s | 6,924 km² per grid cell | 6,924 km² per grid cell | 6,924 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1900s | 7,450 km² per grid cell | 7,450 km² per grid cell | 7,450 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1910s | 7,958 km² per grid cell | 7,958 km² per grid cell | 7,958 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1920s | 8,910 km² per grid cell | 8,910 km² per grid cell | 8,910 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1930s | 9,691 km² per grid cell | 9,691 km² per grid cell | 9,691 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1940s | 11,721 km² per grid cell | 11,721 km² per grid cell | 11,721 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1950s | 22,480 km² per grid cell | 19,683 km² per grid cell | 25,276 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1960s | 26,860 km² per grid cell | 25,802 km² per grid cell | 27,214 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1970s | 27,030 km² per grid cell | 26,992 km² per grid cell | 27,097 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1980s | 27,030 km² per grid cell | 26,950 km² per grid cell | 27,133 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1990s | 32,191 km² per grid cell | 27,114 km² per grid cell | 38,309 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2000s | 48,877 km² per grid cell | 39,958 km² per grid cell | 58,536 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2010s | 69,779 km² per grid cell | 61,042 km² per grid cell | 78,972 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2020s | 85,191 km² per grid cell | 81,031 km² per grid cell | 89,331 km² per grid cell | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.66 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0991 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.15 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.34 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.06 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban area over the long-term in China?
- Urban area over the long-term in China was 89,331 km² per grid cell in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest urban area over the long-term recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 89,331 km² per grid cell in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban area over the long-term recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 527.06 km² per grid cell in 1000.
- How does China rank for urban area over the long-term?
- China ranks 2nd out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban area over the long-term rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total built-up area of a country over time.