Ireland vs South Africa: Urban vs rural majority

Ireland
64.59
in 2025
South Africa
63.82
in 2025
Ireland rank
124th
South Africa rank
127th

Urban vs rural majority over time

  • Ireland
  • South Africa
0204060100015122025

How they compare

Ireland currently reports 64.59 against 63.82 in South Africa, a difference of 0.77.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was South Africa ahead.

Ireland ranks 124th and South Africa ranks 127th of 238 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 30 and South Africa in 10.

Head to head by decade

Decade Ireland South Africa Difference Ahead
1000s 0 0.0019 0.0019 South Africa
1100s 0 0.0058 0.0058 South Africa
1200s 0 0.0174 0.0174 South Africa
1300s 0 0.0523 0.0523 South Africa
1400s 0 0.157 0.157 South Africa
1500s 0 0.4711 0.4711 South Africa
1600s 0 1.41 1.41 South Africa
1700s 3.4 4.24 0.84 South Africa
1710s 4.9 4.79 0.1053 Ireland
1720s 6.4 5.35 1.05 Ireland
1730s 7.89 5.9 2 Ireland
1740s 9.39 6.45 2.94 Ireland
1750s 10.89 7 3.89 Ireland
1760s 12.39 7.56 4.83 Ireland
1770s 13.89 8.11 5.78 Ireland
1780s 15.39 8.66 6.72 Ireland
1790s 16.88 9.22 7.67 Ireland
1800s 18.38 9.77 8.61 Ireland
1810s 19.88 10.32 9.56 Ireland
1820s 21.38 10.88 10.5 Ireland
1830s 22.88 11.43 11.45 Ireland
1840s 24.38 11.98 12.39 Ireland
1850s 25.87 12.54 13.34 Ireland
1860s 27.37 13.09 14.28 Ireland
1870s 28.87 13.64 15.23 Ireland
1880s 30.37 14.19 16.18 Ireland
1890s 31.87 14.75 17.12 Ireland
1900s 33.37 15.3 18.07 Ireland
1910s 34.86 18 16.86 Ireland
1920s 36.36 20.7 15.66 Ireland
1930s 37.86 24.7 13.16 Ireland
1940s 39.36 28.9 10.46 Ireland
1950s 42.85 44.51 1.66 South Africa
1960s 48.09 47.26 0.829 Ireland
1970s 53.67 48.04 5.62 Ireland
1980s 56.18 49.43 6.75 Ireland
1990s 57.84 53.4 4.44 Ireland
2000s 60.36 59.4 0.9601 Ireland
2010s 62.58 63.12 0.544 South Africa
2020s 64.02 63.58 0.4394 Ireland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban vs rural majority, Ireland or South Africa?
Ireland, at 64.59 against 63.82 in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban vs rural majority between Ireland and South Africa?
0.77, with Ireland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and South Africa?
108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do Ireland and South Africa rank globally for urban vs rural majority?
Ireland ranks 124th and South Africa ranks 127th of 238 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Urban vs rural majority. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Urban vs rural majority
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 24,444 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed