Mali vs South Africa: Urban and rural population projected to 2050
Mali
24.16 million people
in 2050
South Africa
23.02 million people
in 2050
Mali rank
25th
South Africa rank
26th
Urban and rural population projected to 2050 over time
- Mali
- South Africa
How they compare
Mali currently reports 24.16 million people against 23.02 million people in South Africa, a difference of 1.14 million people.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 133 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Mali ahead.
Mali ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 26th of 238 countries.
Across the 43 decades both report, Mali averaged higher in 27 and South Africa in 16.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mali | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 721,997 people | 257,995 people | 464,002 people | Mali |
| 1100s | 776,142 people | 309,582 people | 466,560 people | Mali |
| 1200s | 830,274 people | 361,137 people | 469,137 people | Mali |
| 1300s | 899,915 people | 412,584 people | 487,331 people | Mali |
| 1400s | 999,716 people | 463,671 people | 536,045 people | Mali |
| 1500s | 1.08 million people | 513,569 people | 568,511 people | Mali |
| 1600s | 1.26 million people | 593,492 people | 666,778 people | Mali |
| 1700s | 1.43 million people | 823,536 people | 609,374 people | Mali |
| 1710s | 1.61 million people | 803,312 people | 804,028 people | Mali |
| 1720s | 1.62 million people | 783,268 people | 840,662 people | Mali |
| 1730s | 1.64 million people | 763,403 people | 877,957 people | Mali |
| 1740s | 1.66 million people | 743,718 people | 916,002 people | Mali |
| 1750s | 1.68 million people | 724,212 people | 954,878 people | Mali |
| 1760s | 1.70 million people | 704,887 people | 994,703 people | Mali |
| 1770s | 1.72 million people | 685,741 people | 1.04 million people | Mali |
| 1780s | 1.74 million people | 666,774 people | 1.08 million people | Mali |
| 1790s | 1.77 million people | 647,988 people | 1.12 million people | Mali |
| 1800s | 1.80 million people | 629,381 people | 1.17 million people | Mali |
| 1810s | 1.82 million people | 610,954 people | 1.21 million people | Mali |
| 1820s | 1.86 million people | 592,706 people | 1.26 million people | Mali |
| 1830s | 1.89 million people | 574,638 people | 1.32 million people | Mali |
| 1840s | 1.93 million people | 556,750 people | 1.37 million people | Mali |
| 1850s | 1.97 million people | 651,233 people | 1.32 million people | Mali |
| 1860s | 2.02 million people | 797,821 people | 1.22 million people | Mali |
| 1870s | 2.07 million people | 1.05 million people | 1.02 million people | Mali |
| 1880s | 2.14 million people | 2.07 million people | 67,650 people | Mali |
| 1890s | 2.21 million people | 2.52 million people | 311,320 people | South Africa |
| 1900s | 2.30 million people | 3.49 million people | 1.19 million people | South Africa |
| 1910s | 2.42 million people | 4.54 million people | 2.12 million people | South Africa |
| 1920s | 2.58 million people | 5.43 million people | 2.85 million people | South Africa |
| 1930s | 2.81 million people | 6.42 million people | 3.61 million people | South Africa |
| 1940s | 3.22 million people | 7.35 million people | 4.13 million people | South Africa |
| 1950s | 4.74 million people | 8.00 million people | 3.26 million people | South Africa |
| 1960s | 5.28 million people | 9.96 million people | 4.68 million people | South Africa |
| 1970s | 5.95 million people | 13.18 million people | 7.23 million people | South Africa |
| 1980s | 7.01 million people | 17.42 million people | 10.41 million people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 8.34 million people | 20.51 million people | 12.17 million people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 10.60 million people | 19.99 million people | 9.39 million people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 13.65 million people | 20.62 million people | 6.96 million people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 16.92 million people | 23.23 million people | 6.32 million people | South Africa |
| 2030s | 20.25 million people | 24.30 million people | 4.05 million people | South Africa |
| 2040s | 23.02 million people | 23.81 million people | 790,450 people | South Africa |
| 2050s | 24.16 million people | 23.02 million people | 1.14 million people | Mali |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban and rural population projected to 2050, Mali or South Africa?
- Mali, at 24.16 million people against 23.02 million people in South Africa as of 2050.
- What is the difference in urban and rural population projected to 2050 between Mali and South Africa?
- 1.14 million people, with Mali ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mali and South Africa?
- 133 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2050.
- How do Mali and South Africa rank globally for urban and rural population projected to 2050?
- Mali ranks 25th 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.