South Africa vs Spain: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
South Africa
78.6%
in 2020
Spain
78.6%
in 2020
South Africa rank
89th
Spain rank
88th
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- South Africa
- Spain
How they compare
Spain currently reports 78.6% against 78.6% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Spain has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 89th and Spain ranks 88th of 236 countries.
Spain has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Spain | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 49.5% | 67.3% | 17.8% | Spain |
| 1960s | 54.2% | 69.4% | 15.2% | Spain |
| 1970s | 60.3% | 71.7% | 11.5% | Spain |
| 1980s | 65.3% | 73.5% | 8.3% | Spain |
| 1990s | 70.1% | 74.4% | 4.3% | Spain |
| 2000s | 73.6% | 75.9% | 2.3% | Spain |
| 2010s | 76.4% | 77.5% | 1.0% | Spain |
| 2020s | 78.6% | 78.6% | 0.0% | Spain |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban and rural areas, South Africa or Spain?
- Spain, at 78.6% against 78.6% in South Africa as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between South Africa and Spain?
- 0.0%, with Spain ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Spain?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do South Africa and Spain rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- South Africa ranks 89th and Spain ranks 88th 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.