Ecuador vs South Africa: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
Ecuador
77.5%
in 2020
South Africa
78.6%
in 2020
Ecuador rank
92nd
South Africa rank
89th
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- Ecuador
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 78.6% against 77.5% in Ecuador, a difference of 1.1%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Ecuador ahead.
Ecuador ranks 92nd and South Africa ranks 89th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Ecuador averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ecuador | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 51.9% | 49.5% | 2.4% | Ecuador |
| 1960s | 57.7% | 54.2% | 3.5% | Ecuador |
| 1970s | 64.0% | 60.3% | 3.7% | Ecuador |
| 1980s | 67.8% | 65.3% | 2.5% | Ecuador |
| 1990s | 70.4% | 70.1% | 0.3% | Ecuador |
| 2000s | 74.3% | 73.6% | 0.7% | Ecuador |
| 2010s | 76.4% | 76.4% | 0.0% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 77.5% | 78.6% | 1.1% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban and rural areas, Ecuador or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 78.6% against 77.5% in Ecuador as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between Ecuador and South Africa?
- 1.1%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ecuador and South Africa?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Ecuador and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Ecuador ranks 92nd 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.