South Africa vs Turkey: Urban area over the long-term
South Africa
8,172 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Turkey
7,698 km² per grid cell
in 2025
South Africa rank
18th
Turkey rank
19th
Urban area over the long-term over time
- South Africa
- Turkey
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 8,172 km² per grid cell against 7,698 km² per grid cell in Turkey, a difference of 474 km² per grid cell.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Turkey's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Turkey ahead.
South Africa ranks 18th and Turkey ranks 19th of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 7 and Turkey in 33.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Turkey | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0026 km² per grid cell | 45.26 km² per grid cell | 45.26 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1100s | 0.0093 km² per grid cell | 34.63 km² per grid cell | 34.62 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1200s | 0.0326 km² per grid cell | 42.66 km² per grid cell | 42.63 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1300s | 0.1118 km² per grid cell | 51.24 km² per grid cell | 51.13 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1400s | 0.3772 km² per grid cell | 42.96 km² per grid cell | 42.59 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1500s | 1.26 km² per grid cell | 48.12 km² per grid cell | 46.86 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1600s | 4.4 km² per grid cell | 63.92 km² per grid cell | 59.52 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1700s | 18.86 km² per grid cell | 70.39 km² per grid cell | 51.53 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1710s | 20.92 km² per grid cell | 80.23 km² per grid cell | 59.32 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1720s | 22.88 km² per grid cell | 89.15 km² per grid cell | 66.27 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1730s | 24.75 km² per grid cell | 99.05 km² per grid cell | 74.3 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1740s | 26.53 km² per grid cell | 110.06 km² per grid cell | 83.53 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1750s | 28.22 km² per grid cell | 122.29 km² per grid cell | 94.07 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1760s | 29.81 km² per grid cell | 135.88 km² per grid cell | 106.07 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1770s | 31.31 km² per grid cell | 150.97 km² per grid cell | 119.66 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1780s | 32.71 km² per grid cell | 167.75 km² per grid cell | 135.03 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1790s | 34.03 km² per grid cell | 186.38 km² per grid cell | 152.36 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1800s | 35.25 km² per grid cell | 207.09 km² per grid cell | 171.85 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1810s | 36.38 km² per grid cell | 230.1 km² per grid cell | 193.73 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1820s | 37.41 km² per grid cell | 255.67 km² per grid cell | 218.26 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1830s | 38.35 km² per grid cell | 290.6 km² per grid cell | 252.25 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1840s | 39.19 km² per grid cell | 329.23 km² per grid cell | 290.04 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1850s | 48.2 km² per grid cell | 372.9 km² per grid cell | 324.7 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1860s | 61.75 km² per grid cell | 421.87 km² per grid cell | 360.12 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1870s | 84.07 km² per grid cell | 475.18 km² per grid cell | 391.11 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1880s | 166.07 km² per grid cell | 521.62 km² per grid cell | 355.55 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1890s | 193.06 km² per grid cell | 553.02 km² per grid cell | 359.96 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1900s | 237.22 km² per grid cell | 553.02 km² per grid cell | 315.8 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1910s | 298.57 km² per grid cell | 553.02 km² per grid cell | 254.45 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1920s | 331.84 km² per grid cell | 553.02 km² per grid cell | 221.18 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1930s | 397.13 km² per grid cell | 553.02 km² per grid cell | 155.88 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1940s | 487.77 km² per grid cell | 553.02 km² per grid cell | 65.25 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 1950s | 1,057 km² per grid cell | 688.84 km² per grid cell | 367.77 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 1960s | 1,477 km² per grid cell | 1,098 km² per grid cell | 378.62 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 1970s | 2,038 km² per grid cell | 1,742 km² per grid cell | 296.61 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 1980s | 2,840 km² per grid cell | 2,832 km² per grid cell | 8.38 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 1990s | 4,087 km² per grid cell | 4,190 km² per grid cell | 102.85 km² per grid cell | Turkey |
| 2000s | 5,352 km² per grid cell | 5,287 km² per grid cell | 65.38 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 2010s | 6,693 km² per grid cell | 6,429 km² per grid cell | 264.02 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
| 2020s | 7,835 km² per grid cell | 7,387 km² per grid cell | 448.11 km² per grid cell | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban area over the long-term, South Africa or Turkey?
- South Africa, at 8,172 km² per grid cell against 7,698 km² per grid cell in Turkey as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between South Africa and Turkey?
- 474 km² per grid cell, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Turkey?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Turkey rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
- South Africa ranks 18th and Turkey ranks 19th 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.