Argentina vs South Africa: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million
Argentina
20.28 million
in 2025
South Africa
23.36 million
in 2025
Argentina rank
19th
South Africa rank
17th
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million over time
- Argentina
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 23.36 million against 20.28 million in Argentina, a difference of 3.08 million.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Argentina's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Argentina ahead.
Argentina ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 17th of 121 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Argentina averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Argentina | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.30 million | 4.59 million | 4.71 million | Argentina |
| 1970s | 11.38 million | 5.95 million | 5.43 million | Argentina |
| 1980s | 13.25 million | 7.61 million | 5.64 million | Argentina |
| 1990s | 14.93 million | 10.56 million | 4.36 million | Argentina |
| 2000s | 16.77 million | 14.54 million | 2.23 million | Argentina |
| 2010s | 18.65 million | 18.69 million | 40,180 | South Africa |
| 2020s | 19.85 million | 22.33 million | 2.48 million | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, Argentina or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 23.36 million against 20.28 million in Argentina as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million between Argentina and South Africa?
- 3.08 million, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Argentina and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Argentina and South Africa rank globally for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- Argentina ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 17th of 121 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.