South Africa vs South Asia: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million
South Africa
36.1%
in 2025
South Asia
16.8%
in 2025
South Africa rank
26th
South Asia rank
27th
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million over time
- South Africa
- South Asia
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 36.1% against 16.8% in South Asia, a difference of 19.3%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 2.1 times South Asia's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 26th and South Asia ranks 27th of 121 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | South Asia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24.3% | 7.4% | 16.9% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 23.5% | 8.6% | 14.9% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 22.1% | 9.9% | 12.2% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 23.9% | 11.2% | 12.8% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 29.5% | 12.5% | 17.0% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 33.4% | 14.2% | 19.2% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 35.6% | 16.1% | 19.4% | 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, South Africa or South Asia?
- South Africa, at 36.1% against 16.8% in South Asia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million between South Africa and South Asia?
- 19.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and South Asia?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and South Asia rank globally for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- South Africa ranks 26th and South Asia ranks 27th 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 (% 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.