South Africa vs United Kingdom: Population by age group

South Africa
63.21 million people
in 2023
United Kingdom
68.68 million people
in 2023
South Africa rank
24th
United Kingdom rank
21st

Population by age group over time

  • South Africa
  • United Kingdom
20.0M40.0M60.0M195019862023

How they compare

United Kingdom currently reports 68.68 million people against 63.21 million people in South Africa, a difference of 5.47 million people.

That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

Across all 74 years both countries report, United Kingdom has been ahead every year.

South Africa ranks 24th and United Kingdom ranks 21st of 236 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa United Kingdom Difference Ahead
1950s 14.43 million people 51.10 million people 36.67 million people United Kingdom
1960s 18.89 million people 54.11 million people 35.22 million people United Kingdom
1970s 25.38 million people 56.10 million people 30.72 million people United Kingdom
1980s 34.50 million people 56.61 million people 22.12 million people United Kingdom
1990s 44.05 million people 58.09 million people 14.04 million people United Kingdom
2000s 49.31 million people 60.56 million people 11.25 million people United Kingdom
2010s 55.92 million people 65.12 million people 9.20 million people United Kingdom
2020s 61.91 million people 67.97 million people 6.06 million people United Kingdom

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population by age group, South Africa or United Kingdom?
United Kingdom, at 68.68 million people against 63.21 million people in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in population by age group between South Africa and United Kingdom?
5.47 million people, with United Kingdom ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and United Kingdom?
74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
How do South Africa and United Kingdom rank globally for population by age group?
South Africa ranks 24th and United Kingdom ranks 21st of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Population by age group. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs United Kingdom: Population by age group. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/population-by-age-group-with-projections/south-africa/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Population by age group
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown.