South Africa vs Viet Nam: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million
South Africa
23.36 million
in 2025
Viet Nam
20.22 million
in 2025
South Africa rank
17th
Viet Nam rank
20th
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million over time
- South Africa
- Viet Nam
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 23.36 million against 20.22 million in Viet Nam, a difference of 3.14 million.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times Viet Nam's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 17th and Viet Nam ranks 20th of 121 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Viet Nam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.59 million | 2.57 million | 2.02 million | South Africa |
| 1970s | 5.95 million | 3.75 million | 2.21 million | South Africa |
| 1980s | 7.61 million | 4.77 million | 2.84 million | South Africa |
| 1990s | 10.56 million | 6.25 million | 4.32 million | South Africa |
| 2000s | 14.54 million | 9.27 million | 5.28 million | South Africa |
| 2010s | 18.69 million | 14.03 million | 4.66 million | South Africa |
| 2020s | 22.33 million | 18.78 million | 3.55 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, South Africa or Viet Nam?
- South Africa, at 23.36 million against 20.22 million in Viet Nam as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million between South Africa and Viet Nam?
- 3.14 million, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Viet Nam?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Viet Nam rank globally for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- South Africa ranks 17th and Viet Nam ranks 20th 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.