Italy vs South Africa: Population peak status

Italy
59.50 million
in 2023
South Africa
63.21 million
in 2023
Italy rank
25th
South Africa rank
24th

Population peak status over time

  • Italy
  • South Africa
20.0M40.0M60.0M195019862023

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 63.21 million against 59.50 million in Italy, a difference of 3.71 million.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Italy's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Italy ahead.

Italy ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 24th of 229 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 7 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Italy South Africa Difference Ahead
1950s 47.87 million 14.43 million 33.44 million Italy
1960s 51.26 million 18.89 million 32.37 million Italy
1970s 54.88 million 25.38 million 29.50 million Italy
1980s 56.79 million 34.50 million 22.29 million Italy
1990s 57.20 million 44.05 million 13.16 million Italy
2000s 58.38 million 49.31 million 9.07 million Italy
2010s 60.42 million 55.92 million 4.50 million Italy
2020s 59.69 million 61.91 million 2.22 million South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population peak status, Italy or South Africa?
South Africa, at 63.21 million against 59.50 million in Italy as of 2023.
What is the difference in population peak status between Italy and South Africa?
3.71 million, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and South Africa?
74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
How do Italy and South Africa rank globally for population peak status?
Italy ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 24th of 229 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Population peak status. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Italy vs South Africa: Population peak status. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/population-peak-status/italy/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Population peak status
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed