China vs United States of America: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million

China
460.16 million
in 2025
United States of America
160.79 million
in 2025
China rank
1st
United States of America rank
3rd

Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million over time

  • China
  • United States of America
100.0M200.0M300.0M400.0M500.0M196019922025

How they compare

China currently reports 460.16 million against 160.79 million in United States of America, a difference of 299.38 million.

That makes China's figure about 2.9 times United States of America's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was United States of America ahead.

China ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 3rd of 121 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 4 and United States of America in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade China United States of America Difference Ahead
1960s 59.44 million 76.65 million 17.21 million United States of America
1970s 70.72 million 88.74 million 18.02 million United States of America
1980s 94.82 million 98.49 million 3.68 million United States of America
1990s 155.10 million 113.20 million 41.90 million China
2000s 256.98 million 129.66 million 127.32 million China
2010s 354.14 million 145.15 million 208.99 million China
2020s 435.61 million 157.26 million 278.35 million China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, China or United States of America?
China, at 460.16 million against 160.79 million in United States of America as of 2025.
What is the difference in population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million between China and United States of America?
299.38 million, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States of America?
66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
How do China and United States of America rank globally for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
China ranks 1st and United States of America ranks 3rd of 121 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs United States of America: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million. Statizoid, drawing on World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://urban.statizoid.com/compare/population-in-urban-agglomerations-of-more-than-1-million/china/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million
Source
World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
121 places, 7,986 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.