Ireland vs South Africa: Share of population living in urban and rural areas
Ireland
64.6%
in 2025
South Africa
63.8%
in 2025
Ireland rank
122nd
South Africa rank
125th
Share of population living in urban and rural areas over time
- Ireland
- South Africa
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 64.6% against 63.8% in South Africa, a difference of 0.8%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 76 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
Ireland ranks 122nd and South Africa ranks 125th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 42.9% | 44.5% | 1.7% | South Africa |
| 1960s | 48.1% | 47.3% | 0.8% | Ireland |
| 1970s | 53.7% | 48.0% | 5.6% | Ireland |
| 1980s | 56.2% | 49.4% | 6.8% | Ireland |
| 1990s | 57.8% | 53.4% | 4.4% | Ireland |
| 2000s | 60.4% | 59.4% | 1.0% | Ireland |
| 2010s | 62.6% | 63.1% | 0.5% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 64.0% | 63.6% | 0.4% | Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in urban and rural areas, Ireland or South Africa?
- Ireland, at 64.6% against 63.8% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of population living in urban and rural areas between Ireland and South Africa?
- 0.8%, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and South Africa?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do Ireland and South Africa rank globally for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Ireland ranks 122nd 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 and rural 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.