Botswana vs South Africa: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 68% in Botswana and 63.8% in South Africa, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Botswana, by 4.1 percentage points, or 1.06 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

BotswanaSouth AfricaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Botswana has been higher since 2008, when it overtook South Africa.
In 2025, Botswana ranked 105 and South Africa ranked 118 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Botswana at 73% and South Africa at 70.9% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Botswana	South Africa
2025	68	63.8
2024	67.5	63.7
2023	67	63.6
2022	66.6	63.5
2021	66.5	63.5
2020	66.5	63.4
2019	66.3	63.4
2018	66.2	63.4
2017	66	63.3
2016	65.7	63.3
2015	65.4	63.2
2014	65.1	63.1
2013	64.8	63.1
2012	64.4	63
2011	64	62.9
2010	63.5	62.6
2009	62.8	62.3
2008	61.8	61.8
2007	60.8	61.2
2006	59.6	60.5
2005	58.5	59.8
2004	57.3	59.1
2003	56.1	58.4
2002	55	57.7
2001	54.1	57
2000	53.2	56.3
1999	52.5	55.4
1998	51.7	54.7
1997	51.1	54
1996	50.4	53.6
1995	49.6	53.3
1994	48.8	53.1
1993	47.9	52.9
1992	46.8	52.7
1991	45.5	52.4
1990	43.7	52
1989	40.9	51.4
1988	37.6	50.7
1987	33.9	50.1
1986	30	49.6
1985	26.2	49.2
1984	22.6	49
1983	19.6	48.8
1982	17.2	48.6
1981	15.8	48.5
1980	14.9	48.4
1979	14.2	48.3
1978	13.6	48.2
1977	13.1	48.2
1976	12.6	48.1
1975	12.1	48.1
1974	11.7	48
1973	11.2	48
1972	10.6	47.9
1971	9.9	47.9
1970	9	47.8
1969	7.9	47.7
1968	6.8	47.6
1967	5.6	47.5
1966	4.6	47.5
1965	3.8	47.4
1964	3.4	47.3
1963	3.2	47.1
1962	3.1	47
1961	3.1	46.9
1960	3	46.7
1959	2.9	46.5
1958	2.9	46.2
1957	2.8	45.8
1956	2.8	45.4
1955	2.8	44.9
1954	2.7	44.4
1953	2.7	43.9
1952	2.7	43.3
1951	2.7	42.7
1950	2.7	42.1

UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050

Year	Botswana	South Africa
2026	68.5	64
2027	69	64.1
2028	69.3	64.3
2029	69.6	64.5
2030	69.9	64.6
2031	70.2	64.8
2032	70.5	65.1
2033	70.7	65.3
2034	71	65.5
2035	71.2	65.8
2036	71.4	66.1
2037	71.6	66.3
2038	71.8	66.6
2039	72	66.9
2040	72.1	67.2
2041	72.3	67.6
2042	72.4	67.9
2043	72.6	68.2
2044	72.7	68.6
2045	72.8	69
2046	72.8	69.3
2047	72.9	69.7
2048	73	70.1
2049	73	70.5
2050	73	70.9

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Botswana vs South Africa: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

Botswana vs South Africa

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Military

Climate

Technology and environment