Pakistan vs South Africa: Urban area over the long-term
Pakistan
8,527 km² per grid cell
in 2025
South Africa
8,172 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Pakistan rank
16th
South Africa rank
18th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- Pakistan
- South Africa
How they compare
Pakistan currently reports 8,527 km² per grid cell against 8,172 km² per grid cell in South Africa, a difference of 355 km² per grid cell.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Pakistan ahead.
Pakistan ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 18th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Pakistan averaged higher in 32 and South Africa in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Pakistan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0124 km² per grid cell | 0.0026 km² per grid cell | 0.0098 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1100s | 0.0386 km² per grid cell | 0.0093 km² per grid cell | 0.0293 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1200s | 0.1201 km² per grid cell | 0.0326 km² per grid cell | 0.0875 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1300s | 0.3603 km² per grid cell | 0.1118 km² per grid cell | 0.2485 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1400s | 1.22 km² per grid cell | 0.3772 km² per grid cell | 0.8468 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1500s | 3.91 km² per grid cell | 1.26 km² per grid cell | 2.65 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1600s | 15.23 km² per grid cell | 4.4 km² per grid cell | 10.83 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1700s | 56.25 km² per grid cell | 18.86 km² per grid cell | 37.39 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1710s | 64.03 km² per grid cell | 20.92 km² per grid cell | 43.11 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1720s | 71.56 km² per grid cell | 22.88 km² per grid cell | 48.67 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1730s | 79.97 km² per grid cell | 24.75 km² per grid cell | 55.22 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1740s | 89.37 km² per grid cell | 26.53 km² per grid cell | 62.84 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1750s | 99.88 km² per grid cell | 28.22 km² per grid cell | 71.67 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1760s | 111.63 km² per grid cell | 29.81 km² per grid cell | 81.82 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1770s | 124.75 km² per grid cell | 31.31 km² per grid cell | 93.45 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1780s | 139.42 km² per grid cell | 32.71 km² per grid cell | 106.71 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1790s | 155.82 km² per grid cell | 34.03 km² per grid cell | 121.79 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1800s | 174.14 km² per grid cell | 35.25 km² per grid cell | 138.89 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1810s | 194.62 km² per grid cell | 36.38 km² per grid cell | 158.24 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1820s | 217.5 km² per grid cell | 37.41 km² per grid cell | 180.09 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1830s | 243.08 km² per grid cell | 38.35 km² per grid cell | 204.73 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1840s | 271.66 km² per grid cell | 39.19 km² per grid cell | 232.47 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1850s | 303.59 km² per grid cell | 48.2 km² per grid cell | 255.39 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1860s | 339.17 km² per grid cell | 61.75 km² per grid cell | 277.42 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1870s | 378.42 km² per grid cell | 84.07 km² per grid cell | 294.35 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1880s | 419.96 km² per grid cell | 166.07 km² per grid cell | 253.89 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1890s | 458.27 km² per grid cell | 193.06 km² per grid cell | 265.21 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1900s | 479.76 km² per grid cell | 237.22 km² per grid cell | 242.54 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1910s | 479.76 km² per grid cell | 298.57 km² per grid cell | 181.19 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1920s | 479.76 km² per grid cell | 331.84 km² per grid cell | 147.92 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1930s | 479.76 km² per grid cell | 397.13 km² per grid cell | 82.63 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
| 1940s | 479.76 km² per grid cell | 487.77 km² per grid cell | 8.01 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 1950s | 571.9 km² per grid cell | 1,057 km² per grid cell | 484.71 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 1960s | 819.26 km² per grid cell | 1,477 km² per grid cell | 657.54 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 1970s | 1,227 km² per grid cell | 2,038 km² per grid cell | 811.53 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1,960 km² per grid cell | 2,840 km² per grid cell | 880.2 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 1990s | 2,990 km² per grid cell | 4,087 km² per grid cell | 1,097 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 2000s | 4,224 km² per grid cell | 5,352 km² per grid cell | 1,128 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 2010s | 5,925 km² per grid cell | 6,693 km² per grid cell | 767.56 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 2020s | 7,880 km² per grid cell | 7,835 km² per grid cell | 45.14 km² per grid cell | Pakistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Pakistan or South Africa?
- Pakistan, at 8,527 km² per grid cell against 8,172 km² per grid cell in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Pakistan and South Africa?
- 355 km² per grid cell, with Pakistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Pakistan and South Africa?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Pakistan and South Africa rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- Pakistan ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 18th of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total built-up area of a country over time.