North Korea vs South Africa: Urban population (% of total population)
North Korea
64.2%
in 2025
South Africa
63.8%
in 2025
North Korea rank
109th
South Africa rank
111th
Urban population (% of total population) over time
- North Korea
- South Africa
How they compare
North Korea currently reports 64.2% against 63.8% in South Africa, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.
North Korea ranks 109th and South Africa ranks 111th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, North Korea averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.0% | 47.3% | 0.3% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 56.1% | 48.0% | 8.1% | North Korea |
| 1980s | 57.5% | 49.4% | 8.1% | North Korea |
| 1990s | 59.0% | 53.4% | 5.6% | North Korea |
| 2000s | 59.7% | 59.4% | 0.3% | North Korea |
| 2010s | 61.3% | 63.1% | 1.9% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 63.4% | 63.6% | 0.2% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, North Korea or South Africa?
- North Korea, at 64.2% against 63.8% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between North Korea and South Africa?
- 0.4%, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do North Korea and South Africa rank globally for urban population?
- North Korea ranks 109th and South Africa ranks 111th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.