Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Svalbard and Jan Mayen: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 79.3% in 1940. ◆ Volatile
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Svalbard and Jan Mayen, 1200–1940
Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 1940, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Svalbard and Jan Mayen stood at 79.3%. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
That represents a change of up 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Svalbard and Jan Mayen peaked at 79.3% in 1940 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1200.
That places Svalbard and Jan Mayen 74th out of 238 countries with data for 1940, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Svalbard and Jan Mayen, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1200 | 0.0% | — |
| 1300 | 0.0% | +200.5% |
| 1400 | 0.0% | +200.4% |
| 1500 | 0.0% | +200.4% |
| 1600 | 0.1% | +200.3% |
| 1700 | 0.4% | +200.3% |
| 1710 | 0.5% | +25.0% |
| 1720 | 0.6% | +25.0% |
| 1730 | 0.7% | +25.0% |
| 1740 | 0.9% | +25.0% |
| 1750 | 1.1% | +25.0% |
| 1760 | 1.4% | +25.0% |
| 1770 | 1.8% | +25.0% |
| 1780 | 2.2% | +25.0% |
| 1790 | 2.8% | +25.0% |
| 1800 | 3.5% | +25.0% |
| 1810 | 4.4% | +25.0% |
| 1820 | 5.5% | +25.0% |
| 1830 | 6.8% | +25.0% |
| 1840 | 8.5% | +25.0% |
| 1850 | 10.6% | +25.0% |
| 1860 | 13.3% | +25.0% |
| 1870 | 16.6% | +25.0% |
| 1880 | 20.8% | +25.0% |
| 1890 | 26.0% | +25.0% |
| 1900 | 32.5% | +25.0% |
| 1910 | 40.6% | +25.0% |
| 1920 | 50.8% | +25.0% |
| 1930 | 63.5% | +25.0% |
| 1940 | 79.3% | +25.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Svalbard and Jan Mayen changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1300 | +200.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1400 | +200.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1500 | +200.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1600 | +200.3% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1700 | +200.3% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1200s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1400s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1500s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1600s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
| 1700s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 1710s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
| 1720s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
| 1730s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1 |
| 1740s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
| 1750s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
| 1760s | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1 |
| 1770s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1 |
| 1780s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 1 |
| 1790s | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1 |
| 1800s | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 1 |
| 1810s | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 1 |
| 1820s | 5.5% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 1 |
| 1830s | 6.8% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 1 |
| 1840s | 8.5% | 8.5% | 8.5% | 1 |
| 1850s | 10.6% | 10.6% | 10.6% | 1 |
| 1860s | 13.3% | 13.3% | 13.3% | 1 |
| 1870s | 16.6% | 16.6% | 16.6% | 1 |
| 1880s | 20.8% | 20.8% | 20.8% | 1 |
| 1890s | 26.0% | 26.0% | 26.0% | 1 |
| 1900s | 32.5% | 32.5% | 32.5% | 1 |
| 1910s | 40.6% | 40.6% | 40.6% | 1 |
| 1920s | 50.8% | 50.8% | 50.8% | 1 |
| 1930s | 63.5% | 63.5% | 63.5% | 1 |
| 1940s | 79.3% | 79.3% | 79.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- 71 Costa Rica 79.7% compare
- 72 Belarus 79.5% compare
- 73 Oman 79.5% compare
- 75 Palau 79.3%
- 76 Greece 79.2% compare
- 77 Marshall Islands 79.1%
More reference data data for Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Exposure to extreme precipitation — Annual precipitation change 113.43 Millimetres per year (2023)
- Exposure to extreme temperature — Annual temperature change 3.01 Degrees celsius (2023)
- Wildfire area burned by land cover type 0 hectares (2025)
- Area burned by wildfires by land cover type 0 hectares (2025)
- Red List Index 0.85 index (2025)
- Urban area over the long-term 8.7 km² per grid cell (2025)
- Member countries of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture 0 number (2025)
- Annual area burnt by wildfires by region 0 hectares (2025)
- Annual area burnt by wildfires 0 hectares (2026)
- Annual number of wildfires 0 wildfires (2026)
Frequently asked questions
- What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Svalbard and Jan Mayen?
- Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Svalbard and Jan Mayen was 79.3% in 1940, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Svalbard and Jan Mayen?
- The highest recorded value was 79.3% in 1940.
- What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Svalbard and Jan Mayen?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1200.
- How does Svalbard and Jan Mayen rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen ranks 74th out of 238 countries with data for 1940.
- Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Svalbard and Jan Mayen?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Svalbard and Jan Mayen data come from?
- The figures 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 part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modeled historical data.