Ecuador vs South Africa: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
Ecuador
36.6%
in 2025
South Africa
36.2%
in 2025
Ecuador rank
106th
South Africa rank
108th
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- Ecuador
- South Africa
How they compare
Ecuador currently reports 36.6% against 36.2% in South Africa, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Ecuador ahead.
Ecuador ranks 106th and South Africa ranks 108th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Ecuador averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ecuador | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 63.1% | 52.7% | 10.3% | Ecuador |
| 1970s | 57.9% | 52.0% | 5.9% | Ecuador |
| 1980s | 49.1% | 50.6% | 1.4% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 42.2% | 46.6% | 4.4% | South Africa |
| 2000s | 38.2% | 40.6% | 2.4% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 37.1% | 36.9% | 0.2% | Ecuador |
| 2020s | 36.8% | 36.4% | 0.4% | Ecuador |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Ecuador or South Africa?
- Ecuador, at 36.6% against 36.2% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Ecuador and South Africa?
- 0.4%, with Ecuador ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ecuador and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Ecuador and South Africa rank globally for rural population?
- Ecuador ranks 106th and South Africa ranks 108th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
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.