Democratic Republic of Congo vs South Africa: Share of the population living in cities

Democratic Republic of Congo
48.66
in 2020
South Africa
48.81
in 2020
Democratic Republic of Congo rank
62nd
South Africa rank
61st

Share of the population living in cities over time

  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • South Africa
1020304050195019852020

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 48.81 against 48.66 in Democratic Republic of Congo, a difference of 0.15.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 62nd and South Africa ranks 61st of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Democratic Republic of Congo averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Democratic Republic of Congo South Africa Difference Ahead
1950s 11.94 13.65 1.71 South Africa
1960s 20.38 15.61 4.77 Democratic Republic of Congo
1970s 30.36 18.66 11.7 Democratic Republic of Congo
1980s 34.32 22.67 11.65 Democratic Republic of Congo
1990s 37.34 28.28 9.07 Democratic Republic of Congo
2000s 42.22 36.87 5.35 Democratic Republic of Congo
2010s 45.91 43.69 2.23 Democratic Republic of Congo
2020s 48.66 48.81 0.1467 South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of the population living in cities, Democratic Republic of Congo or South Africa?
South Africa, at 48.81 against 48.66 in Democratic Republic of Congo as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of the population living in cities between Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa?
0.15, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa rank globally for share of the population living in cities?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 62nd and South Africa ranks 61st of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Share of the population living in cities. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Democratic Republic of Congo vs South Africa: Share of the population living in cities. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-the-population-living-in-cities/congo-dem-rep/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the population living in cities
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed