Urban agglomerations more than 1 million in South Africa

South Africa: Urban agglomerations more than 1 million was 17.85 million in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
17.85 million
World rank
20th
of 182 countries
All-time high
17.85 million
in 2020
All-time low
0
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Urban agglomerations more than 1 million in South Africa, 1950–2020

05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M1950198520201950: 01955: 01960: 01965: 01970: 1.1M1975: 1.2M1980: 2.5M1985: 4.0M1990: 4.7M1995: 6.1M2000: 7.7M2005: 9.4M2010: 11.8M2015: 15.3M2020: 17.9M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 17.85 million for urban agglomerations more than 1 million 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, urban agglomerations more than 1 million in South Africa peaked at 17.85 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0, 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 0 0 0 2
1960s 0 0 0 2
1970s 1.12 million 1.06 million 1.18 million 2
1980s 3.24 million 2.47 million 4.00 million 2
1990s 5.39 million 4.73 million 6.06 million 2
2000s 8.52 million 7.68 million 9.35 million 2
2010s 13.54 million 11.79 million 15.29 million 2
2020s 17.85 million 17.85 million 17.85 million 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 17 Vietnam 21.58 million compare
  2. 18 Democratic Republic of Congo 19.22 million compare
  3. 19 Colombia 17.92 million compare
  4. 21 Argentina 17.55 million compare
  5. 22 United Kingdom 17.28 million compare
  6. 23 Thailand 17.25 million compare

See the full ranking of 182 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban agglomerations more than 1 million in South Africa?
Urban agglomerations more than 1 million in South Africa was 17.85 million in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest urban agglomerations more than 1 million recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 17.85 million in 2020.
What is the lowest urban agglomerations more than 1 million recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1950.
How does South Africa rank for urban agglomerations more than 1 million?
South Africa ranks 20th out of 182 countries with data for 2020.
Is urban agglomerations more than 1 million 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Urban agglomerations more than 1 million. 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

Indicator
Urban agglomerations more than 1 million
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
182 places, 2,532 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed