Italy vs South Africa: Share of population living in the capital city
Italy
4.0%
in 2020
South Africa
2.8%
in 2020
Italy rank
155th
South Africa rank
158th
Share of population living in the capital city over time
- Italy
- South Africa
How they compare
Italy currently reports 4.0% against 2.8% in South Africa, a difference of 1.2%.
That makes Italy's figure about 1.4 times South Africa's.
Across all 15 years both countries report, Italy has been ahead every year.
Italy ranks 155th and South Africa ranks 158th of 170 countries.
Italy has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.8% | 1.3% | 1.4% | Italy |
| 1960s | 3.2% | 1.5% | 1.8% | Italy |
| 1970s | 3.5% | 1.5% | 2.0% | Italy |
| 1980s | 3.7% | 1.5% | 2.2% | Italy |
| 1990s | 3.9% | 1.6% | 2.4% | Italy |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 1.7% | 2.2% | Italy |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 2.5% | 1.3% | Italy |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 2.8% | 1.1% | Italy |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in the capital city, Italy or South Africa?
- Italy, at 4.0% against 2.8% in South Africa as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in the capital city between Italy and South Africa?
- 1.2%, with Italy ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and South Africa?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Italy and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in the capital city?
- Italy ranks 155th 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.