Ecuador vs South Africa: Share of population living in urban areas
Ecuador
63.4%
in 2025
South Africa
63.8%
in 2025
Ecuador rank
127th
South Africa rank
125th
Share of population living in urban areas over time
- Ecuador
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 63.8% against 63.4% in Ecuador, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 76 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
Ecuador ranks 127th and South Africa ranks 125th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Ecuador averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ecuador | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 31.3% | 44.5% | 13.2% | South Africa |
| 1960s | 36.9% | 47.3% | 10.3% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 42.1% | 48.0% | 5.9% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 50.9% | 49.4% | 1.4% | Ecuador |
| 1990s | 57.8% | 53.4% | 4.4% | Ecuador |
| 2000s | 61.8% | 59.4% | 2.4% | Ecuador |
| 2010s | 62.9% | 63.1% | 0.2% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 63.2% | 63.6% | 0.4% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban areas, Ecuador or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 63.8% against 63.4% in Ecuador as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas between Ecuador and South Africa?
- 0.4%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ecuador and South Africa?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do Ecuador and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in urban areas?
- Ecuador ranks 127th and South Africa ranks 125th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.