IDA only vs South Africa: Urban population
Urban population over time
- IDA only
- South Africa
How they compare
IDA only currently reports 478.10 million against 41.32 million in South Africa, a difference of 436.78 million.
That makes IDA only's figure about 11.6 times South Africa's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, IDA only has been ahead every year.
IDA only ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 24th of 47 groups.
IDA only has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | IDA only | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 38.85 million | 8.93 million | 29.91 million | IDA only |
| 1970s | 65.24 million | 12.20 million | 53.04 million | IDA only |
| 1980s | 104.63 million | 17.08 million | 87.55 million | IDA only |
| 1990s | 157.35 million | 23.54 million | 133.82 million | IDA only |
| 2000s | 230.72 million | 29.32 million | 201.40 million | IDA only |
| 2010s | 334.98 million | 35.30 million | 299.68 million | IDA only |
| 2020s | 439.68 million | 39.89 million | 399.80 million | IDA only |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, IDA only or South Africa?
- IDA only, at 478.10 million against 41.32 million in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between IDA only and South Africa?
- 436.78 million, with IDA only ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for IDA only and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do IDA only and South Africa rank globally for urban population?
- IDA only ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 24th of 47 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.