Panama vs South Africa: Share of population living in cities
Panama
48.6%
in 2020
South Africa
48.8%
in 2020
Panama rank
63rd
South Africa rank
61st
Share of population living in cities over time
- Panama
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 48.8% against 48.6% in Panama, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
Panama ranks 63rd and South Africa ranks 61st of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Panama averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Panama | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 11.5% | 13.6% | 2.2% | South Africa |
| 1960s | 13.9% | 15.6% | 1.7% | South Africa |
| 1970s | 16.1% | 18.7% | 2.6% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 20.8% | 22.7% | 1.9% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 28.3% | 28.3% | 0.0% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 42.6% | 36.9% | 5.8% | Panama |
| 2010s | 44.8% | 43.7% | 1.2% | Panama |
| 2020s | 48.6% | 48.8% | 0.3% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in cities, Panama or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 48.8% against 48.6% in Panama as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in cities between Panama and South Africa?
- 0.2%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Panama and South Africa?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Panama and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in cities?
- Panama ranks 63rd and South Africa ranks 61st of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in cities. 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 cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.