China vs South Africa: Annual growth rate of population share in cities with at least 300,000 inhabitants
China
1.7%
in 2020
South Africa
1.7%
in 2020
China rank
21st
South Africa rank
24th
Annual growth rate of population share in cities with at least 300,000 inhabitants over time
- China
- South Africa
How they compare
China currently reports 1.7% against 1.7% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 14 shared years of data; in 1955 it was China ahead.
China ranks 21st and South Africa ranks 24th of 144 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, China averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.5% | -0.4% | 2.9% | China |
| 1960s | 1.4% | 1.6% | 0.2% | South Africa |
| 1970s | -0.3% | 1.7% | 1.9% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 1.1% | 0.9% | China |
| 1990s | 3.1% | 1.2% | 1.9% | China |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.1% | 0.6% | China |
| 2010s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 0.1% | China |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 0.1% | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual growth rate of population share in cities with at least 300,000 inhabitants, China or South Africa?
- China, at 1.7% against 1.7% in South Africa as of 2020.
- What is the difference in annual growth rate of population share in cities with at least 300,000 inhabitants between China and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Africa?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 1955 to 2020.
- How do China and South Africa rank globally for annual growth rate of population share in cities with at least 300,000 inhabitants?
- China ranks 21st and South Africa ranks 24th of 144 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual growth rate of population share in cities with at least 300,000 inhabitants. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Average annual growth in the share of population living in cities with at least 300,000 people, calculated over five-year periods. For example, 2020 reflects average growth between 2015–2020. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.