Urban population (% of total population) in South Africa
South Africa: Urban population (% of total population) was 63.8% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
63.8%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
111th
of 218 countries
All-time high
63.8%
in 2025
All-time low
63.5%
in 2021
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Urban population in South Africa, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 63.8% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.6% over five years.
Over the whole period, urban population in South Africa peaked at 63.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 63.5%, in 2021.
South Africa ranks 111th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Urban population (% of total population) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 46.7% | — |
| 1961 | 46.9% | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 47.0% | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 47.1% | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 47.3% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 47.4% | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 47.5% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 47.5% | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 47.6% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 47.7% | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 47.8% | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 47.8% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 47.9% | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 48.0% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 48.0% | +0.1% |
| 1975 | 48.1% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 48.1% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 48.2% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 48.2% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 48.3% | +0.2% |
| 1980 | 48.4% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 48.5% | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 48.6% | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 48.8% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 49.0% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 49.2% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 49.6% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 50.1% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 50.7% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 51.4% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 52.0% | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 52.4% | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 52.7% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 52.9% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 53.1% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 53.3% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 53.6% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 54.0% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 54.7% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 55.4% | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 56.3% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 57.0% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 57.7% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 58.4% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 59.1% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 59.8% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 60.5% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 61.2% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 61.8% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 62.3% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 62.6% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 62.9% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 63.0% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 63.1% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 63.1% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 63.2% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 63.3% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 63.3% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 63.4% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 63.4% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 63.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 63.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 63.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 63.6% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 63.7% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 63.8% | +0.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 63.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 65.4%, 98% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 63.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.9%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.3% | 46.7% | 47.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 48.0% | 47.8% | 48.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 49.4% | 48.4% | 51.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 53.4% | 52.0% | 55.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.4% | 56.3% | 62.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.1% | 62.6% | 63.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.6% | 63.4% | 63.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More climate change data for South Africa
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 717.27 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 34,365 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 11,741 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 22,624 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 44.31 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 807.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,495 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,119 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 376.6 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 19.32 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in South Africa?
- Urban population in South Africa was 63.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 63.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 63.5% in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for urban population?
- South Africa ranks 111th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.