France vs South Africa: Population, total
France
68.72 million
in 2025
South Africa
64.75 million
in 2025
France rank
23rd
South Africa rank
24th
Population, total over time
- France
- South Africa
How they compare
France currently reports 68.72 million against 64.75 million in South Africa, a difference of 3.97 million.
That makes France's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, France has been ahead every year.
France ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 24th of 215 countries.
France has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 49.55 million | 18.89 million | 30.67 million | France |
| 1970s | 53.70 million | 25.38 million | 28.32 million | France |
| 1980s | 56.56 million | 34.50 million | 22.06 million | France |
| 1990s | 59.40 million | 44.05 million | 15.36 million | France |
| 2000s | 62.90 million | 49.31 million | 13.59 million | France |
| 2010s | 66.31 million | 55.92 million | 10.39 million | France |
| 2020s | 68.21 million | 62.74 million | 5.48 million | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population, total, France or South Africa?
- France, at 68.72 million against 64.75 million in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population, total between France and South Africa?
- 3.97 million, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do France and South Africa rank globally for population, total?
- France ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 24th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Population, total. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.