How does South Africa rank for population - est. & proj. — rural population, per square kilometre?

South Africa ranks 125th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.

Is population - est. & proj. — rural population, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, per square kilometre in South Africa

Name: Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, per square kilometre in South Africa
Creator: Statizoid (derived)
License: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page

South Africa: Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, per square kilometre was 0.0156 1000 No per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

0.0156 1000 No per square kilometre

Change on year

down 0.5%

World rank

125th

of 190 countries

All-time high

0.0163 1000 No per square kilometre

in 2003

All-time low

0.0079 1000 No per square kilometre

in 1961

Years of data

1961–2023

Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961–2023

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in 1000 No per square kilometre.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.0156 1000 No per square kilometre for population - est. & proj. — rural population, per square kilometre in 2023.

The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population - est. & proj. — rural population, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 0.0163 1000 No per square kilometre in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.0079 1000 No per square kilometre, in 1961.

South Africa ranks 125th of 190 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961 to 2023.
Year	1000 No per square kilometre	Change
1961	0.0079 1000 No per square kilometre	—
1962	0.0081 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.5%
1963	0.0083 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.5%
1964	0.0085 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.5%
1965	0.0087 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.5%
1966	0.0089 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.5%
1967	0.0091 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.5%
1968	0.0093 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.5%
1969	0.0096 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.5%
1970	0.0098 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.6%
1971	0.0101 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.7%
1972	0.0104 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.7%
1973	0.0106 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.7%
1974	0.0109 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.7%
1975	0.0112 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.6%
1976	0.0115 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.5%
1977	0.0118 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.5%
1978	0.0121 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.4%
1979	0.0124 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.4%
1980	0.0127 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.4%
1981	0.0129 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.3%
1982	0.0132 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.3%
1983	0.0135 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.3%
1984	0.0138 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.2%
1985	0.0141 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.8%
1986	0.0142 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.2%
1987	0.0144 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.1%
1988	0.0145 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.0%
1989	0.0147 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.0%
1990	0.0149 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.1%
1991	0.015 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.2%
1992	0.0152 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.4%
1993	0.0154 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.3%
1994	0.0156 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.2%
1995	0.0158 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.0%
1996	0.0159 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.8%
1997	0.016 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.7%
1998	0.0161 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.5%
1999	0.0162 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.4%
2000	0.0163 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.4%
2001	0.0163 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.3%
2002	0.0163 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.1%
2003	0.0163 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.0%
2004	0.0163 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.1%
2005	0.0163 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.2%
2006	0.0162 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.2%
2007	0.0162 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.3%
2008	0.0161 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.3%
2009	0.0161 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.3%
2010	0.0161 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.2%
2011	0.0161 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.1%
2012	0.016 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.0%
2013	0.016 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.0%
2014	0.016 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.0%
2015	0.016 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.1%
2016	0.016 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.2%
2017	0.016 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.2%
2018	0.0159 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.3%
2019	0.0159 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.3%
2020	0.0158 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.4%
2021	0.0157 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.4%
2022	0.0157 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.5%
2023	0.0156 1000 No per square kilometre	-0.5%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.0087 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0079 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0096 1000 No per square kilometre	9
1970s	0.0111 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0098 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0124 1000 No per square kilometre	10
1980s	0.0138 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0127 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0147 1000 No per square kilometre	10
1990s	0.0156 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0149 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0162 1000 No per square kilometre	10
2000s	0.0162 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0161 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0163 1000 No per square kilometre	10
2010s	0.016 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0159 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0161 1000 No per square kilometre	10
2020s	0.0157 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0156 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0158 1000 No per square kilometre	4

Countries ranked near South Africa

122 Denmark 0.0169 1000 No per square kilometre compare
123 Greece 0.0165 1000 No per square kilometre compare
124 Sudan 0.0159 1000 No per square kilometre compare
126 Guam 0.0155 1000 No per square kilometre compare
127 Montenegro 0.0147 1000 No per square kilometre compare
128 Zambia 0.0147 1000 No per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.242 % change on previous year (2100)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2122 % change on previous year (2100)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8748 % change on previous year (2050)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 58,057 1000 No (2050)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 14,698 1000 No (2050)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 49,126 1000 No (2100)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 45,189 1000 No (2100)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 94,314 1000 No (2100)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is population - est. & proj. — rural population, per square kilometre in South Africa?: Population - est. & proj. — rural population, per square kilometre in South Africa was 0.0156 1000 No per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest population - est. & proj. — rural population, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.0163 1000 No per square kilometre in 2003.
What is the lowest population - est. & proj. — rural population, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0079 1000 No per square kilometre in 1961.
How does South Africa rank for population - est. & proj. — rural population, per square kilometre?: South Africa ranks 125th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
Is population - est. & proj. — rural population, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, per square kilometre in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/population-est-and-proj-rural-population-per-square-kilometre/south-africa/

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<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/population-est-and-proj-rural-population-per-square-kilometre/south-africa/">Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, per square kilometre in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population ÷ Land area (sq. km)

Computed from

Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

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: Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, per square kilometre
Unit: 1000 No per square kilometre
Source: Statizoid (derived)
Licence: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage: 192 places, 11,029 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 18 August 2026

Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.