Kenya vs South Africa: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas
Kenya
12.88 million people
in 2020
South Africa
12.95 million people
in 2020
Kenya rank
27th
South Africa rank
25th
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas over time
- Kenya
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 12.95 million people against 12.88 million people in Kenya, a difference of 70,000 people.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
Kenya ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 25th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Kenya averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Kenya | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.67 million people | 6.95 million people | 2.28 million people | South Africa |
| 1960s | 5.97 million people | 8.12 million people | 2.15 million people | South Africa |
| 1970s | 7.73 million people | 9.50 million people | 1.77 million people | South Africa |
| 1980s | 9.28 million people | 11.18 million people | 1.90 million people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 10.64 million people | 12.74 million people | 2.10 million people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 12.13 million people | 12.76 million people | 635,350 people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 12.95 million people | 12.84 million people | 110,900 people | Kenya |
| 2020s | 12.88 million people | 12.95 million people | 70,000 people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas, Kenya or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 12.95 million people against 12.88 million people in Kenya as of 2020.
- What is the difference in number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas between Kenya and South Africa?
- 70,000 people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and South Africa?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Kenya and South Africa rank globally for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Kenya ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 25th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.