South Korea vs South Africa: Number of people living in urban and rural areas
South Korea
41.94 million people
in 2025
South Africa
41.32 million people
in 2025
South Korea rank
23rd
South Africa rank
24th
Number of people living in urban and rural areas over time
- South Korea
- South Africa
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 41.94 million people against 41.32 million people in South Africa, a difference of 621,400 people.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 76 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
South Korea ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 24th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 7 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.31 million people | 6.44 million people | 1.13 million people | South Africa |
| 1960s | 9.38 million people | 8.93 million people | 443,763 people | South Korea |
| 1970s | 16.89 million people | 12.20 million people | 4.69 million people | South Korea |
| 1980s | 26.33 million people | 17.08 million people | 9.25 million people | South Korea |
| 1990s | 35.11 million people | 23.54 million people | 11.57 million people | South Korea |
| 2000s | 38.66 million people | 29.32 million people | 9.34 million people | South Korea |
| 2010s | 41.27 million people | 35.30 million people | 5.96 million people | South Korea |
| 2020s | 42.02 million people | 39.89 million people | 2.13 million people | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in urban and rural areas, South Korea or South Africa?
- South Korea, at 41.94 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 South Korea and South Africa?
- 621,400 people, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and South Africa?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and South Africa rank globally for number of people living in urban and rural areas?
- South Korea ranks 23rd 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.