Low income vs South Africa: Rural population
Low income
497.63 million
in 2025
South Africa
23.43 million
in 2025
Low income rank
23rd
South Africa rank
24th
Rural population over time
- Low income
- South Africa
How they compare
Low income currently reports 497.63 million against 23.43 million in South Africa, a difference of 474.20 million.
That makes Low income's figure about 21.2 times South Africa's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Low income has been ahead every year.
Low income ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 24th of 45 groups.
Low income has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Low income | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 127.98 million | 9.96 million | 118.02 million | Low income |
| 1970s | 158.59 million | 13.18 million | 145.41 million | Low income |
| 1980s | 196.06 million | 17.42 million | 178.65 million | Low income |
| 1990s | 247.00 million | 20.51 million | 226.49 million | Low income |
| 2000s | 318.09 million | 19.99 million | 298.10 million | Low income |
| 2010s | 399.60 million | 20.62 million | 378.98 million | Low income |
| 2020s | 473.06 million | 22.85 million | 450.21 million | Low income |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Low income or South Africa?
- Low income, at 497.63 million against 23.43 million in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Low income and South Africa?
- 474.20 million, with Low income ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Low income and South Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Low income and South Africa rank globally for rural population?
- Low income ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 24th of 45 groups.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Rural 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. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.