South Africa vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Historical population data
Historical population data over time
- South Africa
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 69.50 million Persons against 63.10 million Persons in South Africa, a difference of 6.40 million Persons.
That makes United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 76 years both countries report, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 13th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 11th of 43 countries.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 14.43 million Persons | 50.98 million Persons | 36.55 million Persons | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1960s | 18.89 million Persons | 54.11 million Persons | 35.22 million Persons | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1970s | 25.38 million Persons | 56.12 million Persons | 30.74 million Persons | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1980s | 34.50 million Persons | 56.57 million Persons | 22.08 million Persons | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1990s | 44.05 million Persons | 57.95 million Persons | 13.90 million Persons | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2000s | 48.26 million Persons | 60.36 million Persons | 12.10 million Persons | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2010s | 55.20 million Persons | 64.81 million Persons | 9.61 million Persons | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2020s | 61.30 million Persons | 68.11 million Persons | 6.81 million Persons | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher historical population data, South Africa or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 69.50 million Persons against 63.10 million Persons in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in historical population data between South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 6.40 million Persons, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for historical population data?
- South Africa ranks 13th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 11th 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.
Individual pages
About this data
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.