South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Urban population
Urban population over time
- South Africa
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
How they compare
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) currently reports 590.18 million against 41.32 million in South Africa, a difference of 548.86 million.
That makes Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)'s figure about 14.3 times South Africa's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 24th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 22nd of 218 countries.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.93 million | 41.37 million | 32.43 million | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 1970s | 12.20 million | 69.51 million | 57.31 million | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 1980s | 17.08 million | 114.60 million | 97.52 million | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 1990s | 23.54 million | 179.62 million | 156.08 million | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 2000s | 29.32 million | 269.79 million | 240.47 million | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 2010s | 35.30 million | 402.23 million | 366.92 million | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
| 2020s | 39.89 million | 540.39 million | 500.50 million | Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, South Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), at 590.18 million against 41.32 million in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 548.86 million, with Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank globally for urban population?
- South Africa ranks 24th and Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 22nd 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.