Italy vs South Africa: Urban population
Italy
41.05 million
in 2025
South Africa
41.32 million
in 2025
Italy rank
25th
South Africa rank
24th
Urban population over time
- Italy
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 41.32 million against 41.05 million in Italy, a difference of 265,900.
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 217 countries.
Italy has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.02 million | 8.93 million | 23.09 million | Italy |
| 1970s | 36.27 million | 12.20 million | 24.07 million | Italy |
| 1980s | 37.81 million | 17.08 million | 20.73 million | Italy |
| 1990s | 37.99 million | 23.54 million | 14.45 million | Italy |
| 2000s | 39.22 million | 29.32 million | 9.90 million | Italy |
| 2010s | 41.56 million | 35.30 million | 6.26 million | Italy |
| 2020s | 41.09 million | 39.89 million | 1.20 million | Italy |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, Italy or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 41.32 million against 41.05 million in Italy as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between Italy and South Africa?
- 265,900, 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 urban population?
- Italy ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 24th of 217 countries.
- 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.