Ireland vs South Africa: Share of population living in urbanized areas
Ireland
69.5%
in 2025
South Africa
69.3%
in 2025
Ireland rank
91st
South Africa rank
92nd
Share of population living in urbanized areas over time
- Ireland
- South Africa
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 69.5% against 69.3% in South Africa, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was South Africa ahead.
Ireland ranks 91st and South Africa ranks 92nd of 202 countries.
Across the 40 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 31 and South Africa in 9.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | South Africa |
| 1100s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | South Africa |
| 1200s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | South Africa |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 1400s | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% | South Africa |
| 1500s | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.5% | South Africa |
| 1600s | 0.0% | 1.4% | 1.4% | South Africa |
| 1700s | 3.4% | 4.2% | 0.8% | South Africa |
| 1710s | 4.9% | 4.8% | 0.1% | Ireland |
| 1720s | 6.4% | 5.3% | 1.1% | Ireland |
| 1730s | 7.9% | 5.9% | 2.0% | Ireland |
| 1740s | 9.4% | 6.5% | 2.9% | Ireland |
| 1750s | 10.9% | 7.0% | 3.9% | Ireland |
| 1760s | 12.4% | 7.6% | 4.8% | Ireland |
| 1770s | 13.9% | 8.1% | 5.8% | Ireland |
| 1780s | 15.4% | 8.7% | 6.7% | Ireland |
| 1790s | 16.9% | 9.2% | 7.7% | Ireland |
| 1800s | 18.4% | 9.8% | 8.6% | Ireland |
| 1810s | 19.9% | 10.3% | 9.6% | Ireland |
| 1820s | 21.4% | 10.9% | 10.5% | Ireland |
| 1830s | 22.9% | 11.4% | 11.4% | Ireland |
| 1840s | 24.4% | 12.0% | 12.4% | Ireland |
| 1850s | 25.9% | 12.5% | 13.3% | Ireland |
| 1860s | 27.4% | 13.1% | 14.3% | Ireland |
| 1870s | 28.9% | 13.6% | 15.2% | Ireland |
| 1880s | 30.4% | 14.2% | 16.2% | Ireland |
| 1890s | 31.9% | 14.7% | 17.1% | Ireland |
| 1900s | 33.4% | 15.3% | 18.1% | Ireland |
| 1910s | 34.9% | 18.0% | 16.9% | Ireland |
| 1920s | 36.4% | 20.7% | 15.7% | Ireland |
| 1930s | 37.9% | 24.7% | 13.2% | Ireland |
| 1940s | 39.4% | 28.9% | 10.5% | Ireland |
| 1950s | 43.5% | 44.2% | 0.8% | South Africa |
| 1960s | 48.6% | 46.9% | 1.8% | Ireland |
| 1970s | 53.3% | 47.8% | 5.5% | Ireland |
| 1980s | 56.2% | 49.5% | 6.6% | Ireland |
| 1990s | 57.6% | 54.3% | 3.3% | Ireland |
| 2000s | 60.4% | 59.1% | 1.3% | Ireland |
| 2010s | 64.4% | 64.2% | 0.2% | Ireland |
| 2020s | 68.4% | 68.2% | 0.2% | Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urbanized areas, Ireland or South Africa?
- Ireland, at 69.5% against 69.3% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urbanized areas between Ireland and South Africa?
- 0.2%, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and South Africa?
- 108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
- How do Ireland and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in urbanized areas?
- Ireland ranks 91st and South Africa ranks 92nd of 202 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urbanized areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of population living in urban areas in a country over time.