Colombia vs South Africa: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million
Colombia
23.80 million
in 2025
South Africa
23.36 million
in 2025
Colombia rank
16th
South Africa rank
17th
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million over time
- Colombia
- South Africa
How they compare
Colombia currently reports 23.80 million against 23.36 million in South Africa, a difference of 441,100.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.
Colombia ranks 16th and South Africa ranks 17th of 121 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Colombia averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Colombia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.36 million | 4.59 million | 222,979 | South Africa |
| 1970s | 7.01 million | 5.95 million | 1.06 million | Colombia |
| 1980s | 9.42 million | 7.61 million | 1.81 million | Colombia |
| 1990s | 12.25 million | 10.56 million | 1.69 million | Colombia |
| 2000s | 15.84 million | 14.54 million | 1.30 million | Colombia |
| 2010s | 20.09 million | 18.69 million | 1.40 million | Colombia |
| 2020s | 23.14 million | 22.33 million | 807,850 | Colombia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, Colombia or South Africa?
- Colombia, at 23.80 million against 23.36 million in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million between Colombia and South Africa?
- 441,100, with Colombia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Colombia and South Africa rank globally for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- Colombia ranks 16th 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.