South Africa vs Uganda: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas
South Africa
12.95 million people
in 2020
Uganda
13.52 million people
in 2020
South Africa rank
25th
Uganda rank
23rd
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas over time
- South Africa
- Uganda
How they compare
Uganda currently reports 13.52 million people against 12.95 million people in South Africa, a difference of 576,800 people.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 25th and Uganda ranks 23rd of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 5 and Uganda in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Uganda | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.95 million people | 5.22 million people | 1.73 million people | South Africa |
| 1960s | 8.12 million people | 6.57 million people | 1.54 million people | South Africa |
| 1970s | 9.50 million people | 8.15 million people | 1.35 million people | South Africa |
| 1980s | 11.18 million people | 9.80 million people | 1.38 million people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 12.74 million people | 11.57 million people | 1.17 million people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 12.76 million people | 13.33 million people | 569,650 people | Uganda |
| 2010s | 12.84 million people | 14.37 million people | 1.53 million people | Uganda |
| 2020s | 12.95 million people | 13.52 million people | 576,800 people | Uganda |
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, South Africa or Uganda?
- Uganda, at 13.52 million people against 12.95 million people in South Africa as of 2020.
- What is the difference in number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas between South Africa and Uganda?
- 576,800 people, with Uganda ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Uganda?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do South Africa and Uganda rank globally for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- South Africa ranks 25th and Uganda ranks 23rd 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.