Italy vs South Africa: Population, total
Italy
58.92 million
in 2025
South Africa
64.75 million
in 2025
Italy rank
25th
South Africa rank
24th
Population, total over time
- Italy
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 64.75 million against 58.92 million in Italy, a difference of 5.83 million.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Italy's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Italy ahead.
Italy ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 24th of 215 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 51.88 million | 18.89 million | 33.00 million | Italy |
| 1970s | 55.17 million | 25.38 million | 29.79 million | Italy |
| 1980s | 56.57 million | 34.50 million | 22.07 million | Italy |
| 1990s | 56.84 million | 44.05 million | 12.79 million | Italy |
| 2000s | 58.03 million | 49.31 million | 8.72 million | Italy |
| 2010s | 60.06 million | 55.92 million | 4.14 million | Italy |
| 2020s | 59.07 million | 62.74 million | 3.66 million | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population, total, Italy or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 64.75 million against 58.92 million in Italy as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population, total between Italy and South Africa?
- 5.83 million, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Italy and South Africa rank globally for population, total?
- Italy ranks 25th 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.