Libya vs South Africa: Rural population growth
Libya
0.8%
in 2025
South Africa
0.8%
in 2025
Libya rank
63rd
South Africa rank
64th
Rural population growth over time
- Libya
- South Africa
How they compare
Libya currently reports 0.8% against 0.8% in South Africa, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Libya ahead.
Libya ranks 63rd and South Africa ranks 64th of 209 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Libya averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Libya | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.4% | 2.8% | 2.4% | South Africa |
| 1970s | -1.7% | 2.7% | 4.4% | South Africa |
| 1980s | -1.3% | 2.6% | 3.9% | South Africa |
| 1990s | -2.2% | 0.8% | 3.0% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 0.7% | -0.6% | 1.4% | Libya |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 0.0% | Libya |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.2% | 0.1% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population growth, Libya or South Africa?
- Libya, at 0.8% against 0.8% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population growth between Libya and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with Libya ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Libya and South Africa?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2025.
- How do Libya and South Africa rank globally for rural population growth?
- Libya ranks 63rd and South Africa ranks 64th of 209 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.