Singapore vs South Africa: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 100% in Singapore and 63.8% in South Africa, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Singapore, by 36.2 percentage points, or 1.57 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

SingaporeSouth AfricaUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

Singapore has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Singapore at 100% and South Africa at 70.9% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Singapore	South Africa
2025	100	63.8
2024	100	63.7
2023	100	63.6
2022	100	63.5
2021	100	63.5
2020	100	63.4
2019	100	63.4
2018	100	63.4
2017	100	63.3
2016	100	63.3
2015	100	63.2
2014	100	63.1
2013	100	63.1
2012	100	63
2011	100	62.9
2010	100	62.6
2009	100	62.3
2008	100	61.8
2007	100	61.2
2006	100	60.5
2005	100	59.8
2004	100	59.1
2003	100	58.4
2002	100	57.7
2001	100	57
2000	100	56.3
1999	100	55.4
1998	100	54.7
1997	100	54
1996	100	53.6
1995	100	53.3
1994	100	53.1
1993	100	52.9
1992	100	52.7
1991	100	52.4
1990	100	52
1989	100	51.4
1988	100	50.7
1987	100	50.1
1986	100	49.6
1985	100	49.2
1984	100	49
1983	100	48.8
1982	100	48.6
1981	100	48.5
1980	100	48.4
1979	100	48.3
1978	100	48.2
1977	100	48.2
1976	100	48.1
1975	100	48.1
1974	100	48
1973	100	48
1972	100	47.9
1971	100	47.9
1970	100	47.8
1969	100	47.7
1968	100	47.6
1967	100	47.5
1966	100	47.5
1965	100	47.4
1964	100	47.3
1963	100	47.1
1962	100	47
1961	100	46.9
1960	100	46.7
1959	100	46.5
1958	100	46.2
1957	100	45.8
1956	100	45.4
1955	100	44.9
1954	100	44.4
1953	100	43.9
1952	100	43.3
1951	100	42.7
1950	100	42.1

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

Year	Singapore	South Africa
2026	100	64
2027	100	64.1
2028	100	64.3
2029	100	64.5
2030	100	64.6
2031	100	64.8
2032	100	65.1
2033	100	65.3
2034	100	65.5
2035	100	65.8
2036	100	66.1
2037	100	66.3
2038	100	66.6
2039	100	66.9
2040	100	67.2
2041	100	67.6
2042	100	67.9
2043	100	68.2
2044	100	68.6
2045	100	69
2046	100	69.3
2047	100	69.7
2048	100	70.1
2049	100	70.5
2050	100	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

Singapore vs South Africa: Urban population

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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