Argentina vs South Africa: Number of people living in urban and rural areas
Argentina
42.34 million people
in 2025
South Africa
41.32 million people
in 2025
Argentina rank
21st
South Africa rank
24th
Number of people living in urban and rural areas over time
- Argentina
- South Africa
How they compare
Argentina currently reports 42.34 million people against 41.32 million people in South Africa, a difference of 1.03 million people.
Across all 76 years both countries report, Argentina has been ahead every year.
Argentina ranks 21st and South Africa ranks 24th of 236 countries.
Argentina has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Argentina | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.60 million people | 6.44 million people | 6.16 million people | Argentina |
| 1960s | 16.48 million people | 8.93 million people | 7.55 million people | Argentina |
| 1970s | 20.75 million people | 12.20 million people | 8.55 million people | Argentina |
| 1980s | 25.54 million people | 17.08 million people | 8.46 million people | Argentina |
| 1990s | 30.65 million people | 23.54 million people | 7.12 million people | Argentina |
| 2000s | 35.13 million people | 29.32 million people | 5.82 million people | Argentina |
| 2010s | 39.51 million people | 35.30 million people | 4.21 million people | Argentina |
| 2020s | 41.93 million people | 39.89 million people | 2.04 million people | Argentina |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in urban and rural areas, Argentina or South Africa?
- Argentina, at 42.34 million people against 41.32 million people in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in number of people living in urban and rural areas between Argentina and South Africa?
- 1.03 million people, with Argentina ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Argentina and South Africa?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do Argentina and South Africa rank globally for number of people living in urban and rural areas?
- Argentina ranks 21st and South Africa ranks 24th 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 Number of people 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
Number of people living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.