Malaysia vs South Africa: Population growth
Malaysia
1.2%
in 2025
South Africa
1.1%
in 2025
Malaysia rank
91st
South Africa rank
93rd
Population growth over time
- Malaysia
- South Africa
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 1.2% against 1.1% in South Africa, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1961 it was South Africa ahead.
Malaysia ranks 91st and South Africa ranks 93rd of 217 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.5% | 3.0% | 0.6% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 2.4% | 2.8% | 0.4% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 3.2% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 1.6% | 0.9% | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 2.3% | 1.0% | 1.2% | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 0.3% | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.4% | 0.2% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population growth, Malaysia or South Africa?
- Malaysia, at 1.2% against 1.1% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population growth between Malaysia and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and South Africa?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2025.
- How do Malaysia and South Africa rank globally for population growth?
- Malaysia ranks 91st and South Africa ranks 93rd of 217 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as Population growth (annual %). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.