Average age, urban in South Africa

South Africa: Average age, urban was 31.08 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
31.08
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
63rd
of 99 countries
All-time high
31.08
in 2020
All-time low
27.38
in 2002
Years of data
20
1995–2020

Average age, urban in South Africa, 1995–2020

01020301995200720201995: 28.22000: 28.32001: 28.72002: 27.42003: 28.72004: 28.62005: 28.12008: 28.52009: 28.62010: 28.82011: 29.12012: 29.32013: 29.42014: 29.82015: 302016: 30.32017: 30.52018: 30.72019: 30.92020: 31.1

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

The most recent figure for average age, urban in South Africa is 31.08, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average age, urban in South Africa peaked at 31.08 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 27.38, in 2002.

South Africa ranks 63rd of 99 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.

Average age, urban in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Average age, urban in South Africa, 1995 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1995 28.15 —
2000 28.33 +0.7%
2001 28.68 +1.2%
2002 27.38 -4.5%
2003 28.72 +4.9%
2004 28.57 -0.5%
2005 28.1 -1.6%
2008 28.51 +1.4%
2009 28.65 +0.5%
2010 28.84 +0.7%
2011 29.07 +0.8%
2012 29.27 +0.7%
2013 29.44 +0.6%
2014 29.76 +1.1%
2015 29.98 +0.7%
2016 30.26 +0.9%
2017 30.49 +0.8%
2018 30.73 +0.8%
2019 30.88 +0.5%
2020 31.08 +0.7%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 31.08 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 33.8, 92% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 31.08 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.5, 1.3× the median. (15 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 28.15 28.15 28.15 1
2000s 28.37 27.38 28.72 8
2010s 29.87 28.84 30.88 10
2020s 31.08 31.08 31.08 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 60 Ecuador 31.53 compare
  2. 61 Guatemala 31.21 compare
  3. 62 Morocco 31.09 compare
  4. 64 Kyrgyzstan 30.95 compare
  5. 65 Laos 30.87 compare
  6. 66 Turkey 30.79 compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is average age, urban in South Africa?
Average age, urban in South Africa was 31.08 in 2020, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest average age, urban recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 31.08 in 2020.
What is the lowest average age, urban recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 27.38 in 2002.
How does South Africa rank for average age, urban?
South Africa ranks 63rd out of 99 countries with data for 2020.
Is average age, urban rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Average age, urban. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Average age, urban in South Africa. Statizoid. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/average-age-urban/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Average age, urban
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
99 places, 1,372 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed