South Africa vs Vietnam: Urban population
South Africa
41.32 million
in 2025
Vietnam
39.45 million
in 2025
South Africa rank
24th
Vietnam rank
27th
Urban population over time
- South Africa
- Vietnam
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 41.32 million against 39.45 million in Vietnam, a difference of 1.87 million.
Across all 66 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 24th and Vietnam ranks 27th of 218 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Vietnam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.93 million | 6.51 million | 2.43 million | South Africa |
| 1970s | 12.20 million | 9.32 million | 2.88 million | South Africa |
| 1980s | 17.08 million | 11.13 million | 5.95 million | South Africa |
| 1990s | 23.54 million | 15.21 million | 8.32 million | South Africa |
| 2000s | 29.32 million | 22.06 million | 7.26 million | South Africa |
| 2010s | 35.30 million | 29.83 million | 5.47 million | South Africa |
| 2020s | 39.89 million | 37.53 million | 2.36 million | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, South Africa or Vietnam?
- South Africa, at 41.32 million against 39.45 million in Vietnam as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between South Africa and Vietnam?
- 1.87 million, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Vietnam?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Vietnam rank globally for urban population?
- South Africa ranks 24th and Vietnam ranks 27th 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.