China vs South Africa: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 66.3% in China and 63.8% in South Africa, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in China, by 2.5 percentage points, or 1.04 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

ChinaSouth AfricaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

China has been higher since 2020, when it overtook South Africa.
In 2025, China ranked 108 and South Africa ranked 118 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts China at 89.7% and South Africa at 70.9% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	China	South Africa
2025	66.3	63.8
2024	65.9	63.7
2023	65.5	63.6
2022	65.2	63.5
2021	64.7	63.5
2020	63.5	63.4
2019	62.7	63.4
2018	61.5	63.4
2017	60.2	63.3
2016	58.8	63.3
2015	57.3	63.2
2014	55.8	63.1
2013	54.5	63.1
2012	53.1	63
2011	51.8	62.9
2010	49.2	62.6
2009	48.3	62.3
2008	47	61.8
2007	45.9	61.2
2006	44.3	60.5
2005	43	59.8
2004	41.8	59.1
2003	40.5	58.4
2002	39.1	57.7
2001	37.7	57
2000	36.4	56.3
1999	34.8	55.4
1998	33.4	54.7
1997	31.9	54
1996	30.5	53.6
1995	29	53.3
1994	28.5	53.1
1993	28	52.9
1992	27.5	52.7
1991	26.9	52.4
1990	26.2	52
1989	26.2	51.4
1988	25.8	50.7
1987	25.3	50.1
1986	24.5	49.6
1985	23.7	49.2
1984	23	49
1983	21.6	48.8
1982	20.6	48.6
1981	20.2	48.5
1980	19.4	48.4
1979	19	48.3
1978	17.9	48.2
1977	17.6	48.2
1976	17.4	48.1
1975	17.3	48.1
1974	17.2	48
1973	17.2	48
1972	17.1	47.9
1971	17.3	47.9
1970	17.4	47.8
1969	17.5	47.7
1968	17.6	47.6
1967	17.7	47.5
1966	17.9	47.5
1965	18	47.4
1964	18.3	47.3
1963	16.8	47.1
1962	17.3	47
1961	19.3	46.9
1960	19.8	46.7
1959	18.4	46.5
1958	16.3	46.2
1957	15.4	45.8
1956	14.6	45.4
1955	13.5	44.9
1954	13.7	44.4
1953	13	43.9
1952	12.5	43.3
1951	11.8	42.7
1950	11.2	42.1

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

Year	China	South Africa
2026	66.8	64
2027	67.3	64.1
2028	67.9	64.3
2029	68.5	64.5
2030	69.1	64.6
2031	69.7	64.8
2032	70.4	65.1
2033	71.1	65.3
2034	71.9	65.5
2035	72.7	65.8
2036	73.6	66.1
2037	74.4	66.3
2038	75.4	66.6
2039	76.3	66.9
2040	77.3	67.2
2041	78.4	67.6
2042	79.5	67.9
2043	80.6	68.2
2044	81.8	68.6
2045	83	69
2046	84.2	69.3
2047	85.5	69.7
2048	86.9	70.1
2049	88.3	70.5
2050	89.7	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

China vs South Africa: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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