How does South Africa rank for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of gdp?

South Africa ranks 83rd out of 211 countries with data for 2025.

Is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of GDP in South Africa

Name: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of GDP in South Africa
Creator: Statizoid (derived)
License: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page

South Africa: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of GDP was 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.0001 people per US$ of GDP

Change on year

down 4.8%

World rank

83rd

of 211 countries

All-time high

0.0009 people per US$ of GDP

in 1960

All-time low

0.0001 people per US$ of GDP

in 2011

Years of data

1960–2025

Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of GDP in South Africa, 1960–2025

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people per US$ of GDP.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of gdp in 2025.

That represents a change of down 4.8% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of gdp in South Africa peaked at 0.0009 people per US$ of GDP in 1960 and was at its lowest, 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP, in 2011.

South Africa ranks 83rd of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of GDP in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of GDP in South Africa, 1960 to 2025.
Year	people per US$ of GDP	Change
1960	0.0009 people per US$ of GDP	—
1961	0.0009 people per US$ of GDP	-2.1%
1962	0.0008 people per US$ of GDP	-2.8%
1963	0.0008 people per US$ of GDP	-6.5%
1964	0.0007 people per US$ of GDP	-6.2%
1965	0.0007 people per US$ of GDP	-5.5%
1966	0.0007 people per US$ of GDP	-5.0%
1967	0.0006 people per US$ of GDP	-7.2%
1968	0.0006 people per US$ of GDP	-4.5%
1969	0.0005 people per US$ of GDP	-8.1%
1970	0.0005 people per US$ of GDP	-6.3%
1971	0.0005 people per US$ of GDP	-6.5%
1972	0.0005 people per US$ of GDP	-1.6%
1973	0.0004 people per US$ of GDP	-24.1%
1974	0.0003 people per US$ of GDP	-17.2%
1975	0.0003 people per US$ of GDP	-0.7%
1976	0.0003 people per US$ of GDP	+7.2%
1977	0.0003 people per US$ of GDP	-6.6%
1978	0.0003 people per US$ of GDP	-9.6%
1979	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	-15.8%
1980	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	-27.2%
1981	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	-0.5%
1982	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	+12.5%
1983	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	-7.2%
1984	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	+17.8%
1985	0.0003 people per US$ of GDP	+36.7%
1986	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	-8.6%
1987	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	-20.8%
1988	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	-3.1%
1989	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	+0.4%
1990	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	-10.9%
1991	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	-3.8%
1992	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	-5.8%
1993	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	+2.3%
1994	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	-2.2%
1995	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-9.2%
1996	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	+7.1%
1997	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-1.5%
1998	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	+13.2%
1999	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	+3.5%
2000	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	+2.2%
2001	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	+14.5%
2002	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	+7.2%
2003	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-33.0%
2004	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-21.2%
2005	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-9.4%
2006	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-2.8%
2007	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-6.8%
2008	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	+7.6%
2009	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-2.2%
2010	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-19.6%
2011	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-7.5%
2012	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	+7.2%
2013	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	+10.3%
2014	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	+7.1%
2015	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	+12.3%
2016	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	+8.3%
2017	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-14.5%
2018	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-4.2%
2019	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	+5.9%
2020	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	+17.1%
2021	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-18.3%
2022	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	+4.6%
2023	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	+8.5%
2024	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-3.6%
2025	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	-4.8%

South Africa compared with similar countries

South Africa's 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP, 1.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
South Africa's 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0003 people per US$ of GDP, 36% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.0007 people per US$ of GDP	0.0005 people per US$ of GDP	0.0009 people per US$ of GDP	10
1970s	0.0003 people per US$ of GDP	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	0.0005 people per US$ of GDP	10
1980s	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	0.0003 people per US$ of GDP	10
1990s	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	10
2000s	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	0.0002 people per US$ of GDP	10
2010s	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	10
2020s	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	0.0001 people per US$ of GDP	6

Countries ranked near South Africa

80 Namibia 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP compare
81 Paraguay 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP compare
82 Mongolia 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP compare
84 Bhutan 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP compare
85 Marshall Islands 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP compare
86 Suriname 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More population data for South Africa

Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1847 % change on previous year (2100)
Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.7997 % change on previous year (2050)
Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
Population growth rate, by level of development 0.2% (2100)
Number of children under 5, by world region 5.55 million people (2100)
Population density 77.75 people per km² (2100)
World population growth 0.2% (2100)
Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.0148 % change on previous year (2100)
Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8824 Percent per annum (2030)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of gdp in South Africa?: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of gdp in South Africa was 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of gdp recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.0009 people per US$ of GDP in 1960.
What is the lowest number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of gdp recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0001 people per US$ of GDP in 2011.
How does South Africa rank for number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of gdp?: South Africa ranks 83rd out of 211 countries with data for 2025.
Is number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of gdp rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of GDP in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-people-living-in-urban-and-rural-areas-per-unit-of-gdp/south-africa/

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How this figure is calculated

Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Number of people living in urban and rural areas ÷ GDP (current US$)

Computed from

Number of people living in urban and rural areas United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
GDP Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator: Number of people living in urban and rural areas, per unit of GDP
Unit: people per US$ of GDP
Source: Statizoid (derived)
Licence: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage: 211 places, 11,717 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 29 August 2026

Number of people living in urban and rural areas divided by GDP (current US$), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.