South Korea vs South Africa: Urban population
South Korea
41.95 million
in 2025
South Africa
41.32 million
in 2025
South Korea rank
23rd
South Africa rank
24th
Urban population over time
- South Korea
- South Africa
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 41.95 million against 41.32 million in South Africa, a difference of 635,600.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.
South Korea ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 24th of 218 countries.
South Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.17 million | 8.93 million | 234,081 | South Korea |
| 1970s | 16.69 million | 12.20 million | 4.49 million | South Korea |
| 1980s | 26.07 million | 17.08 million | 8.99 million | South Korea |
| 1990s | 34.76 million | 23.54 million | 11.22 million | South Korea |
| 2000s | 39.02 million | 29.32 million | 9.70 million | South Korea |
| 2010s | 41.47 million | 35.30 million | 6.17 million | South Korea |
| 2020s | 41.99 million | 39.89 million | 2.11 million | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, South Korea or South Africa?
- South Korea, at 41.95 million against 41.32 million in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between South Korea and South Africa?
- 635,600, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and South Africa rank globally for urban population?
- South Korea ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 24th of 218 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.