Germany vs South Africa: Historical population data

Germany
83.52 million Persons
in 2025
South Africa
63.10 million Persons
in 2025
Germany rank
10th
South Africa rank
13th

Historical population data over time

  • Germany
  • South Africa
20.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M195019872025

How they compare

Germany currently reports 83.52 million Persons against 63.10 million Persons in South Africa, a difference of 20.42 million Persons.

That makes Germany's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.

Across all 76 years both countries report, Germany has been ahead every year.

Germany ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 13th of 43 countries.

Germany has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany South Africa Difference Ahead
1950s 70.81 million Persons 14.43 million Persons 56.37 million Persons Germany
1960s 75.50 million Persons 18.89 million Persons 56.61 million Persons Germany
1970s 78.45 million Persons 25.38 million Persons 53.06 million Persons Germany
1980s 78.12 million Persons 34.50 million Persons 43.62 million Persons Germany
1990s 81.21 million Persons 44.05 million Persons 37.16 million Persons Germany
2000s 82.32 million Persons 48.26 million Persons 34.05 million Persons Germany
2010s 81.68 million Persons 55.20 million Persons 26.48 million Persons Germany
2020s 83.41 million Persons 61.30 million Persons 22.11 million Persons Germany

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher historical population data, Germany or South Africa?
Germany, at 83.52 million Persons against 63.10 million Persons in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in historical population data between Germany and South Africa?
20.42 million Persons, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and South Africa?
76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
How do Germany and South Africa rank globally for historical population data?
Germany ranks 10th 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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Germany 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/germany/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.