American Samoa vs South Africa: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
American Samoa
78.7%
in 2020
South Africa
78.6%
in 2020
American Samoa rank
87th
South Africa rank
89th
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- American Samoa
- South Africa
How they compare
American Samoa currently reports 78.7% against 78.6% in South Africa, a difference of 0.1%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, American Samoa has been ahead every year.
American Samoa ranks 87th and South Africa ranks 89th of 236 countries.
American Samoa has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | American Samoa | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 56.7% | 49.5% | 7.2% | American Samoa |
| 1960s | 59.1% | 54.2% | 4.9% | American Samoa |
| 1970s | 64.8% | 60.3% | 4.5% | American Samoa |
| 1980s | 70.5% | 65.3% | 5.3% | American Samoa |
| 1990s | 79.9% | 70.1% | 9.8% | American Samoa |
| 2000s | 82.5% | 73.6% | 8.9% | American Samoa |
| 2010s | 80.9% | 76.4% | 4.5% | American Samoa |
| 2020s | 78.7% | 78.6% | 0.0% | American Samoa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban and rural areas, American Samoa or South Africa?
- American Samoa, at 78.7% against 78.6% in South Africa as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between American Samoa and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with American Samoa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for American Samoa and South Africa?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do American Samoa and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- American Samoa ranks 87th and South Africa ranks 89th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.