South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million
South Africa
36.1%
in 2025
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
16.3%
in 2025
South Africa rank
26th
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank
29th
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million over time
- South Africa
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 36.1% against 16.3% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), a difference of 19.8%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 2.2 times Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s.
Across all 66 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 26th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 29th 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 | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24.3% | 6.6% | 17.7% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 23.5% | 8.6% | 14.9% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 22.1% | 10.4% | 11.7% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 23.9% | 12.1% | 11.8% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 29.5% | 13.4% | 16.0% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 33.4% | 14.7% | 18.7% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 35.6% | 15.9% | 19.7% | 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- South Africa, at 36.1% against 16.3% in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million between South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 19.8%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- South Africa ranks 26th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 29th 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.