European Union vs South Africa: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million
European Union
17.8%
in 2025
South Africa
36.1%
in 2025
European Union rank
25th
South Africa rank
26th
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million over time
- European Union
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 36.1% against 17.8% in European Union, a difference of 18.3%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 2.0 times European Union's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
European Union ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 26th of 37 groups.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | European Union | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.8% | 24.3% | 9.5% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 15.7% | 23.5% | 7.8% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 16.0% | 22.1% | 6.1% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 16.2% | 23.9% | 7.8% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 16.4% | 29.5% | 13.1% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 17.1% | 33.4% | 16.3% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 17.7% | 35.6% | 17.9% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, European Union or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 36.1% against 17.8% in European Union as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million between European Union and South Africa?
- 18.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for European Union and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do European Union and South Africa rank globally for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- European Union ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 26th of 37 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the percentage of a country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.