Colombia vs South Africa: Historical population data

Colombia
53.11 million Persons
in 2025
South Africa
63.10 million Persons
in 2025
Colombia rank
15th
South Africa rank
13th

Historical population data over time

  • Colombia
  • South Africa
20.0M40.0M60.0M195019872025

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 63.10 million Persons against 53.11 million Persons in Colombia, a difference of 9.99 million Persons.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Colombia's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 76 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Colombia ahead.

Colombia ranks 15th and South Africa ranks 13th of 43 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Colombia averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade Colombia South Africa Difference Ahead
1950s 15.29 million Persons 14.43 million Persons 855,910 Persons Colombia
1960s 19.95 million Persons 18.89 million Persons 1.06 million Persons Colombia
1970s 24.97 million Persons 25.38 million Persons 416,050 Persons South Africa
1980s 30.16 million Persons 34.50 million Persons 4.34 million Persons South Africa
1990s 35.93 million Persons 44.05 million Persons 8.12 million Persons South Africa
2000s 41.41 million Persons 48.26 million Persons 6.85 million Persons South Africa
2010s 46.32 million Persons 55.20 million Persons 8.88 million Persons South Africa
2020s 51.87 million Persons 61.30 million Persons 9.43 million Persons South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher historical population data, Colombia or South Africa?
South Africa, at 63.10 million Persons against 53.11 million Persons in Colombia as of 2025.
What is the difference in historical population data between Colombia and South Africa?
9.99 million Persons, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and South Africa?
76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
How do Colombia and South Africa rank globally for historical population data?
Colombia ranks 15th and South Africa ranks 13th of 43 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Historical population data. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Colombia vs South Africa: Historical population data. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/historical-population-data/colombia/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Historical population data
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
56 places, 4,256 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents annual population data from 1961 by sex and five year age groups as well as the share of children, youth, the elderly, old-age and total dependency ratios. The data is available for all member countries as well as for the EU27 and G20 countries, Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa and the World total. The data refer to mid-year estimates of the population. See country details in Historical population metadata.