India vs South Africa: Share of population living in the capital city
India
2.1%
in 2020
South Africa
2.8%
in 2020
India rank
161st
South Africa rank
158th
Share of population living in the capital city over time
- India
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2.8% against 2.1% in India, a difference of 0.7%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.4 times India's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
India ranks 161st and South Africa ranks 158th of 170 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, India averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.7% | 1.3% | 0.6% | South Africa |
| 1960s | 0.9% | 1.5% | 0.6% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 1.0% | 1.5% | 0.5% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1.1% | 1.5% | 0.4% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.6% | 0.2% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 0.1% | India |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 2.5% | 0.5% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 2.8% | 0.8% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in the capital city, India or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 2.8% against 2.1% in India as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in the capital city between India and South Africa?
- 0.7%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and South Africa?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do India and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in the capital city?
- India ranks 161st and South Africa ranks 158th of 170 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.