Cameroon vs South Africa: Urban and rural population projected to 2050
Cameroon
20.85 million people
in 2050
South Africa
23.02 million people
in 2050
Cameroon rank
27th
South Africa rank
26th
Urban and rural population projected to 2050 over time
- Cameroon
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 23.02 million people against 20.85 million people in Cameroon, a difference of 2.17 million people.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Cameroon's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 133 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Cameroon ahead.
Cameroon ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 26th of 238 countries.
Across the 43 decades both report, Cameroon averaged higher in 26 and South Africa in 17.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Cameroon | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 706,735 people | 257,995 people | 448,740 people | Cameroon |
| 1100s | 807,690 people | 309,582 people | 498,108 people | Cameroon |
| 1200s | 923,049 people | 361,137 people | 561,912 people | Cameroon |
| 1300s | 1.05 million people | 412,584 people | 642,246 people | Cameroon |
| 1400s | 1.21 million people | 463,671 people | 741,559 people | Cameroon |
| 1500s | 1.38 million people | 513,569 people | 862,851 people | Cameroon |
| 1600s | 1.57 million people | 593,492 people | 976,168 people | Cameroon |
| 1700s | 1.78 million people | 823,536 people | 958,754 people | Cameroon |
| 1710s | 1.70 million people | 803,312 people | 900,028 people | Cameroon |
| 1720s | 1.72 million people | 783,268 people | 934,742 people | Cameroon |
| 1730s | 1.73 million people | 763,403 people | 969,967 people | Cameroon |
| 1740s | 1.75 million people | 743,718 people | 1.01 million people | Cameroon |
| 1750s | 1.77 million people | 724,212 people | 1.04 million people | Cameroon |
| 1760s | 1.78 million people | 704,887 people | 1.08 million people | Cameroon |
| 1770s | 1.80 million people | 685,741 people | 1.12 million people | Cameroon |
| 1780s | 1.82 million people | 666,774 people | 1.16 million people | Cameroon |
| 1790s | 1.84 million people | 647,988 people | 1.20 million people | Cameroon |
| 1800s | 1.87 million people | 629,381 people | 1.24 million people | Cameroon |
| 1810s | 1.89 million people | 610,954 people | 1.28 million people | Cameroon |
| 1820s | 1.92 million people | 592,706 people | 1.33 million people | Cameroon |
| 1830s | 1.95 million people | 574,638 people | 1.37 million people | Cameroon |
| 1840s | 1.98 million people | 556,750 people | 1.42 million people | Cameroon |
| 1850s | 2.01 million people | 651,233 people | 1.36 million people | Cameroon |
| 1860s | 2.05 million people | 797,821 people | 1.26 million people | Cameroon |
| 1870s | 2.10 million people | 1.05 million people | 1.05 million people | Cameroon |
| 1880s | 2.15 million people | 2.07 million people | 82,590 people | Cameroon |
| 1890s | 2.21 million people | 2.52 million people | 309,820 people | South Africa |
| 1900s | 2.29 million people | 3.49 million people | 1.21 million people | South Africa |
| 1910s | 2.38 million people | 4.54 million people | 2.16 million people | South Africa |
| 1920s | 2.51 million people | 5.43 million people | 2.92 million people | South Africa |
| 1930s | 2.70 million people | 6.42 million people | 3.72 million people | South Africa |
| 1940s | 3.02 million people | 7.35 million people | 4.33 million people | South Africa |
| 1950s | 4.11 million people | 8.00 million people | 3.88 million people | South Africa |
| 1960s | 4.75 million people | 9.96 million people | 5.21 million people | South Africa |
| 1970s | 5.38 million people | 13.18 million people | 7.80 million people | South Africa |
| 1980s | 6.18 million people | 17.42 million people | 11.23 million people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 7.33 million people | 20.51 million people | 13.17 million people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 8.70 million people | 19.99 million people | 11.29 million people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 10.67 million people | 20.62 million people | 9.94 million people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 13.13 million people | 23.23 million people | 10.10 million people | South Africa |
| 2030s | 15.85 million people | 24.30 million people | 8.45 million people | South Africa |
| 2040s | 18.97 million people | 23.81 million people | 4.85 million people | South Africa |
| 2050s | 20.85 million people | 23.02 million people | 2.17 million people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban and rural population projected to 2050, Cameroon or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 23.02 million people against 20.85 million people in Cameroon as of 2050.
- What is the difference in urban and rural population projected to 2050 between Cameroon and South Africa?
- 2.17 million people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Cameroon and South Africa?
- 133 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2050.
- How do Cameroon and South Africa rank globally for urban and rural population projected to 2050?
- Cameroon ranks 27th and South Africa ranks 26th of 238 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban and rural population projected to 2050. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people living in rural areas, combining UN estimates and projections with modeled historical data.