Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Africa
South Africa: Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 17.85 million people in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Africa, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 17.85 million people for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 51.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Africa peaked at 17.85 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1950.
That places South Africa 20th out of 182 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Africa, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0 people | — |
| 1955 | 0 people | — |
| 1960 | 0 people | — |
| 1965 | 0 people | — |
| 1970 | 1.06 million people | — |
| 1975 | 1.18 million people | +11.5% |
| 1980 | 2.47 million people | +109.2% |
| 1985 | 4.00 million people | +61.9% |
| 1990 | 4.73 million people | +18.2% |
| 1995 | 6.06 million people | +28.2% |
| 2000 | 7.68 million people | +26.7% |
| 2005 | 9.35 million people | +21.8% |
| 2010 | 11.79 million people | +26.1% |
| 2015 | 15.29 million people | +29.6% |
| 2020 | 17.85 million people | +16.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 17.85 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.95 million people, 9.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 17.85 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.88 million people, 9.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0 people | 0 people | 0 people | 2 |
| 1960s | 0 people | 0 people | 0 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.12 million people | 1.06 million people | 1.18 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 3.24 million people | 2.47 million people | 4.00 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 5.39 million people | 4.73 million people | 6.06 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 8.52 million people | 7.68 million people | 9.35 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 13.54 million people | 11.79 million people | 15.29 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 17.85 million people | 17.85 million people | 17.85 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Africa?
- Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in South Africa was 17.85 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 17.85 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1950.
- How does South Africa rank for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- South Africa ranks 20th out of 182 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.