Nigeria vs South Africa: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita

Nigeria
0.6378 people per person
in 2025
South Africa
0.6382 people per person
in 2025
Nigeria rank
112th
South Africa rank
111th

Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita over time

  • Nigeria
  • South Africa
0.10.20.30.40.50.6196019922025

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 0.6382 people per person against 0.6378 people per person in Nigeria, a difference of 0.0004 people per person.

Across all 66 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Nigeria ranks 112th and South Africa ranks 111th of 215 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Nigeria South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 0.1683 people per person 0.4726 people per person 0.3044 people per person South Africa
1970s 0.2338 people per person 0.4804 people per person 0.2467 people per person South Africa
1980s 0.309 people per person 0.4943 people per person 0.1853 people per person South Africa
1990s 0.3877 people per person 0.534 people per person 0.1463 people per person South Africa
2000s 0.4711 people per person 0.594 people per person 0.1229 people per person South Africa
2010s 0.5532 people per person 0.6312 people per person 0.078 people per person South Africa
2020s 0.6177 people per person 0.6358 people per person 0.018 people per person South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita, Nigeria or South Africa?
South Africa, at 0.6382 people per person against 0.6378 people per person in Nigeria as of 2025.
What is the difference in number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita between Nigeria and South Africa?
0.0004 people per person, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita?
Nigeria ranks 112th and South Africa ranks 111th of 215 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Statizoid (derived), published as Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Nigeria vs South Africa: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-people-living-in-urban-and-rural-areas-per-capita/nigeria/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per capita
Unit
people per person
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
215 places, 14,160 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.