Urban population in South Africa
South Africa: Urban population was 41.32 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in South Africa, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
South Africa recorded 41.32 million for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in South Africa peaked at 41.32 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7.68 million, in 1960.
That places South Africa 24th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7.68 million | — |
| 1961 | 7.92 million | +3.2% |
| 1962 | 8.19 million | +3.3% |
| 1963 | 8.46 million | +3.4% |
| 1964 | 8.75 million | +3.4% |
| 1965 | 9.04 million | +3.3% |
| 1966 | 9.34 million | +3.4% |
| 1967 | 9.66 million | +3.4% |
| 1968 | 9.98 million | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 10.31 million | +3.3% |
| 1970 | 10.64 million | +3.2% |
| 1971 | 10.98 million | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 11.31 million | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 11.65 million | +3.0% |
| 1974 | 12.00 million | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 12.35 million | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 12.70 million | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 13.06 million | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 13.44 million | +2.9% |
| 1979 | 13.83 million | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 14.29 million | +3.3% |
| 1981 | 14.81 million | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 15.38 million | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 15.97 million | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 16.60 million | +3.9% |
| 1985 | 17.24 million | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 17.93 million | +4.0% |
| 1987 | 18.70 million | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 19.52 million | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 20.36 million | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 21.18 million | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 21.84 million | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 22.36 million | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 22.90 million | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 23.36 million | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 23.74 million | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 24.17 million | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 24.66 million | +2.0% |
| 1998 | 25.26 million | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 25.91 million | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 26.53 million | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 27.11 million | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 27.69 million | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 28.31 million | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 28.95 million | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 29.61 million | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 30.26 million | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 30.92 million | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 31.57 million | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 32.21 million | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 32.78 million | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 33.31 million | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 33.86 million | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 34.48 million | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 35.10 million | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 35.85 million | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 36.23 million | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 36.50 million | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 37.15 million | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 37.79 million | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 38.42 million | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 39.02 million | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 39.60 million | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 40.19 million | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 40.77 million | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 41.32 million | +1.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 41.32 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.10 million, 10.1× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 41.32 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 8.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.93 million | 7.68 million | 10.31 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.20 million | 10.64 million | 13.83 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.08 million | 14.29 million | 20.36 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.54 million | 21.18 million | 25.91 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.32 million | 26.53 million | 32.21 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.30 million | 32.78 million | 37.79 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.89 million | 38.42 million | 41.32 million | 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 41.32 million 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 41.32 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.68 million in 1960.
- How does South Africa rank for urban population?
- South Africa ranks 24th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban 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. 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.