Congo, Democratic Republic of the vs South Africa: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million

Congo, Democratic Republic of the
27.36 million
in 2025
South Africa
23.36 million
in 2025
Congo, Democratic Republic of the rank
14th
South Africa rank
17th

Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million over time

  • Congo, Democratic Republic of the
  • South Africa
010.0M20.0M30.0M196019922025

How they compare

Congo, Democratic Republic of the currently reports 27.36 million against 23.36 million in South Africa, a difference of 4.00 million.

That makes Congo, Democratic Republic of the's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.

Congo, Democratic Republic of the ranks 14th and South Africa ranks 17th of 121 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Congo, Democratic Republic of the averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade Congo, Democratic Republic of the South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 1.41 million 4.59 million 3.18 million South Africa
1970s 2.62 million 5.95 million 3.34 million South Africa
1980s 4.46 million 7.61 million 3.15 million South Africa
1990s 7.36 million 10.56 million 3.20 million South Africa
2000s 11.50 million 14.54 million 3.04 million South Africa
2010s 17.59 million 18.69 million 1.10 million South Africa
2020s 24.64 million 22.33 million 2.31 million Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, Congo, Democratic Republic of the or South Africa?
Congo, Democratic Republic of the, at 27.36 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 Congo, Democratic Republic of the and South Africa?
4.00 million, with Congo, Democratic Republic of the ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Congo, Democratic Republic of the and South Africa?
66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
How do Congo, Democratic Republic of the and South Africa rank globally for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
Congo, Democratic Republic of the ranks 14th 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.

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Congo, Democratic Republic of the vs South Africa: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million. Statizoid, drawing on World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://urban.statizoid.com/compare/population-in-urban-agglomerations-of-more-than-1-million/congo-dem-rep/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million
Source
World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
121 places, 7,986 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.