How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Turkey?

66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.

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.

South Africa vs Turkey: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million

South Africa

36.1%

in 2025

Turkey

39.2%

in 2025

South Africa rank

26th

Turkey rank

25th

Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million over time

South Africa
Turkey

How they compare

Turkey currently reports 39.2% against 36.1% in South Africa, a difference of 3.1%.

That makes Turkey's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

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

South Africa ranks 26th and Turkey ranks 25th of 121 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and Turkey in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade	South Africa	Turkey	Difference	Ahead
1960s	24.3%	14.2%	10.1%	South Africa
1970s	23.5%	18.9%	4.6%	South Africa
1980s	22.1%	22.7%	0.6%	Turkey
1990s	23.9%	26.6%	2.7%	Turkey
2000s	29.5%	31.4%	2.0%	Turkey
2010s	33.4%	36.7%	3.3%	Turkey
2020s	35.6%	38.3%	2.8%	Turkey

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 Turkey?: Turkey, at 39.2% against 36.1% in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million between South Africa and Turkey?: 3.1%, with Turkey ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Turkey?: 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
How do South Africa and Turkey rank globally for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?: South Africa ranks 26th and Turkey ranks 25th 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.

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South Africa vs Turkey: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million. Statizoid, drawing on World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/compare/population-in-urban-agglomerations-of-more-than-1-million-percent-of-total-population/south-africa/turkiye/

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<a href="https://climate.statizoid.com/compare/population-in-urban-agglomerations-of-more-than-1-million-percent-of-total-population/south-africa/turkiye/">South Africa vs Turkey: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population)
Unit: % of total population
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 158 places, 10,428 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 17 September 2026

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.