South Africa vs Uzbekistan: Urban and rural population projected to 2050

South Africa
23.02 million people
in 2050
Uzbekistan
20.55 million people
in 2050
South Africa rank
26th
Uzbekistan rank
28th

Urban and rural population projected to 2050 over time

  • South Africa
  • Uzbekistan
05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M25.0M100015252050

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 23.02 million people against 20.55 million people in Uzbekistan, a difference of 2.48 million people.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Uzbekistan's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 133 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Uzbekistan ahead.

South Africa ranks 26th and Uzbekistan ranks 28th of 238 countries.

Across the 43 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 15 and Uzbekistan in 28.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Uzbekistan Difference Ahead
1000s 257,995 people 899,998 people 642,003 people Uzbekistan
1100s 309,582 people 969,995 people 660,413 people Uzbekistan
1200s 361,137 people 1.04 million people 678,843 people Uzbekistan
1300s 412,584 people 1.11 million people 697,366 people Uzbekistan
1400s 463,671 people 1.18 million people 716,159 people Uzbekistan
1500s 513,569 people 1.26 million people 745,871 people Uzbekistan
1600s 593,492 people 1.44 million people 844,588 people Uzbekistan
1700s 823,536 people 1.61 million people 789,984 people Uzbekistan
1710s 803,312 people 1.70 million people 901,098 people Uzbekistan
1720s 783,268 people 1.80 million people 1.01 million people Uzbekistan
1730s 763,403 people 1.90 million people 1.13 million people Uzbekistan
1740s 743,718 people 2.00 million people 1.26 million people Uzbekistan
1750s 724,212 people 2.11 million people 1.38 million people Uzbekistan
1760s 704,887 people 2.22 million people 1.52 million people Uzbekistan
1770s 685,741 people 2.34 million people 1.65 million people Uzbekistan
1780s 666,774 people 2.46 million people 1.80 million people Uzbekistan
1790s 647,988 people 2.59 million people 1.94 million people Uzbekistan
1800s 629,381 people 2.73 million people 2.10 million people Uzbekistan
1810s 610,954 people 2.87 million people 2.26 million people Uzbekistan
1820s 592,706 people 3.01 million people 2.42 million people Uzbekistan
1830s 574,638 people 3.16 million people 2.58 million people Uzbekistan
1840s 556,750 people 3.31 million people 2.75 million people Uzbekistan
1850s 651,233 people 3.46 million people 2.81 million people Uzbekistan
1860s 797,821 people 3.61 million people 2.82 million people Uzbekistan
1870s 1.05 million people 3.77 million people 2.71 million people Uzbekistan
1880s 2.07 million people 3.91 million people 1.84 million people Uzbekistan
1890s 2.52 million people 4.05 million people 1.53 million people Uzbekistan
1900s 3.49 million people 4.17 million people 677,240 people Uzbekistan
1910s 4.54 million people 4.27 million people 263,410 people South Africa
1920s 5.43 million people 4.35 million people 1.08 million people South Africa
1930s 6.42 million people 4.39 million people 2.03 million people South Africa
1940s 7.35 million people 4.37 million people 2.98 million people South Africa
1950s 8.00 million people 4.81 million people 3.18 million people South Africa
1960s 9.96 million people 6.29 million people 3.67 million people South Africa
1970s 13.18 million people 8.24 million people 4.94 million people South Africa
1980s 17.42 million people 10.47 million people 6.95 million people South Africa
1990s 20.51 million people 12.77 million people 7.74 million people South Africa
2000s 19.99 million people 13.02 million people 6.97 million people South Africa
2010s 20.62 million people 15.00 million people 5.61 million people South Africa
2020s 23.23 million people 17.94 million people 5.29 million people South Africa
2030s 24.30 million people 20.24 million people 4.06 million people South Africa
2040s 23.81 million people 20.86 million people 2.95 million people South Africa
2050s 23.02 million people 20.55 million people 2.48 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, South Africa or Uzbekistan?
South Africa, at 23.02 million people against 20.55 million people in Uzbekistan as of 2050.
What is the difference in urban and rural population projected to 2050 between South Africa and Uzbekistan?
2.48 million people, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Uzbekistan?
133 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2050.
How do South Africa and Uzbekistan rank globally for urban and rural population projected to 2050?
South Africa ranks 26th and Uzbekistan ranks 28th of 238 countries.
Where does this data come from?
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – 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.

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South Africa vs Uzbekistan: Urban and rural population projected to 2050. Statizoid, drawing on HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/urban-and-rural-population-2050/south-africa/uzbekistan/

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About this data

Indicator
Urban and rural population projected to 2050
Unit
people
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 30,401 data points, 1000–2050
Last refreshed

Number of people living in rural areas, combining UN estimates and projections with modeled historical data.