Share of population living in urban areas in South Africa
South Africa: Share of population living in urban areas was 78.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in South Africa, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in South Africa is 78.6%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
The figure is up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in South Africa peaked at 78.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 48.6%, in 1950.
That places South Africa 89th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban areas in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 48.6% | — |
| 1955 | 50.4% | +3.9% |
| 1960 | 52.7% | +4.5% |
| 1965 | 55.7% | +5.6% |
| 1970 | 58.8% | +5.7% |
| 1975 | 61.7% | +4.9% |
| 1980 | 64.1% | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 66.4% | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 69.1% | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 71.1% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 72.9% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 74.2% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 75.7% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 77.1% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 78.6% | +1.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 78.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.7%, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 78.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69.4%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 49.5% | 48.6% | 50.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 54.2% | 52.7% | 55.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 60.3% | 58.8% | 61.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 65.3% | 64.1% | 66.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 70.1% | 69.1% | 71.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 73.6% | 72.9% | 74.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 76.4% | 75.7% | 77.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 78.6% | 78.6% | 78.6% | 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 share of population living in urban areas in South Africa?
- Share of population living in urban areas in South Africa was 78.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 78.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.6% in 1950.
- How does South Africa rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- South Africa ranks 89th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. 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
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.