Seychelles vs South Africa: Share of population living in rural areas
Seychelles
21.3%
in 2020
South Africa
21.4%
in 2020
Seychelles rank
151st
South Africa rank
148th
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Seychelles
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 21.4% against 21.3% in Seychelles, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
Seychelles ranks 151st and South Africa ranks 148th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Seychelles averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Seychelles | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 34.4% | 50.5% | 16.1% | South Africa |
| 1960s | 32.5% | 45.8% | 13.3% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 29.1% | 39.7% | 10.6% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 26.0% | 34.7% | 8.7% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 26.7% | 29.9% | 3.3% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 26.3% | 26.4% | 0.1% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 24.7% | 23.6% | 1.1% | Seychelles |
| 2020s | 21.3% | 21.4% | 0.1% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Seychelles or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 21.4% against 21.3% in Seychelles as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Seychelles and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Seychelles and South Africa?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Seychelles and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Seychelles ranks 151st and South Africa ranks 148th 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 Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.