South Africa vs Vietnam: Number of people living in urban and rural areas
South Africa
41.32 million people
in 2025
Vietnam
39.45 million people
in 2025
South Africa rank
24th
Vietnam rank
26th
Number of people living in urban and rural areas over time
- South Africa
- Vietnam
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 41.32 million people against 39.45 million people in Vietnam, a difference of 1.87 million people.
Across all 76 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 24th and Vietnam ranks 26th of 236 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Vietnam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.44 million people | 3.29 million people | 3.15 million people | South Africa |
| 1960s | 8.93 million people | 6.51 million people | 2.43 million people | South Africa |
| 1970s | 12.20 million people | 9.32 million people | 2.88 million people | South Africa |
| 1980s | 17.08 million people | 11.13 million people | 5.95 million people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 23.54 million people | 15.21 million people | 8.32 million people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 29.32 million people | 22.06 million people | 7.26 million people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 35.30 million people | 29.83 million people | 5.47 million people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 39.89 million people | 37.53 million people | 2.36 million people | South Africa |
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 Africa or Vietnam?
- South Africa, at 41.32 million people against 39.45 million people in Vietnam as of 2025.
- What is the difference in number of people living in urban and rural areas between South Africa and Vietnam?
- 1.87 million people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Vietnam?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Vietnam rank globally for number of people living in urban and rural areas?
- South Africa ranks 24th and Vietnam ranks 26th 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.