South Africa has a population density of 139.8 people per square mile compared to 5,493 people in the Vatican. South Africa has 205,338 sq ft of land per person vs 5,274 sq ft in the Vatican. South Africa and the Vatican rank 135th and 3rd by population density, respectively.
Population density is calculated as the ratio of population to land area. South Africa has 0.79% of the world's population and 0.81% of all countries' land area, compared to 0.00001% of the population and 0.0000003% of the land area for the Vatican, making the population density in South Africa 97.5% lower than in the Vatican.
Population density by year
people per square mile
| Year | Population density | |
|---|---|---|
South Africa
|
Vatican
|
|
| 2026 | 139.8 | 5,493 |
| 2025 | 138.3 | 5,460 |
| 2024 | 136.7 | 5,362 |
| 2023 | 135 | 5,460 |
| 2022 | 133.2 | 5,602 |
| 2021 | 131.3 | 5,723 |
| 2020 | 129.3 | 5,810 |
| 2019 | 127.2 | 5,886 |
| 2018 | 125.1 | - |
| 2017 | 123.1 | 5,886 |
| 2016 | 122.3 | - |
| 2015 | 121.1 | 5,886 |
| 2014 | 118.7 | 4,956 |
| 2013 | 116.7 | 4,939 |
| 2012 | 114.8 | 4,921 |
| 2011 | 113.1 | 4,897 |
| 2010 | 111.8 | 4,880 |
| 2009 | 110.4 | 4,862 |
| 2008 | 109.1 | 4,850 |
| 2007 | 107.9 | 4,833 |
| 2006 | 106.7 | 5,486 |
| 2005 | 105.7 | 5,421 |
| 2004 | 104.6 | 5,421 |
| 2003 | 103.5 | 5,362 |
| 2002 | 102.5 | 5,298 |
| 2001 | 101.6 | 5,239 |
| 2000 | 100.7 | 5,180 |
| 1999 | 99.8 | 5,180 |
| 1998 | 98.7 | 5,195 |
| 1997 | 97.5 | 5,217 |
| 1996 | 96.3 | 5,254 |
| 1995 | 95.1 | 5,306 |
| 1994 | 94 | 5,373 |
| 1993 | 92.4 | 5,388 |
| 1992 | 90.6 | 5,388 |
| 1991 | 89 | 5,395 |
| 1990 | 87 | 5,403 |
| 1989 | 84.6 | 5,418 |
| 1988 | 82.2 | 5,433 |
| 1987 | 79.7 | 5,418 |
| 1986 | 77.2 | 5,455 |
| 1985 | 74.8 | 5,462 |
| 1984 | 72.4 | 5,492 |
| 1983 | 69.9 | 5,507 |
| 1982 | 67.5 | 5,522 |
| 1981 | 65.2 | 5,522 |
| 1980 | 63 | 5,500 |
| 1979 | 61.1 | 5,492 |
| 1978 | 59.5 | 5,470 |
| 1977 | 57.9 | 5,448 |
| 1976 | 56.4 | 5,448 |
| 1975 | 54.9 | 5,448 |
| 1974 | 53.4 | 5,470 |
| 1973 | 51.9 | 5,477 |
| 1972 | 50.4 | 5,507 |
| 1971 | 49 | 5,559 |
| 1970 | 47.6 | 5,633 |
| 1969 | 46.1 | 5,797 |
| 1968 | 44.7 | 6,176 |
| 1967 | 43.4 | 6,317 |
| 1966 | 42 | 6,867 |
| 1965 | 40.8 | 6,830 |
| 1964 | 39.5 | 6,815 |
| 1963 | 38.3 | 6,815 |
| 1962 | 37.2 | 6,808 |
| 1961 | 36.1 | 6,837 |
| 1960 | - | 6,837 |
Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06); United Nations | World Population Prospects (1960–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10); Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20).
GeoRank.org/population-density/south-africa/vatican | CC BY 
From 2006 to 2026, population density in South Africa increased by 31%, compared to a 0.13% growth in the Vatican.
In 2006, South Africa ranked 134th by population density and is 135th now. The Vatican was 3rd in 2006 and still ranks 3rd out of 197 currently.
Population density comparison
|
South Africa
|
Vatican
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population density | 139.8 ppl/mi² | 5,493 ppl/mi² |
| Population density rank | 135/197 | 3/197 |
| Population |
65683993
|
936
|
| Land area | 468,377 sq mi | 0.17 sq mi |
| Land area per capita | 204,002 sq ft | 4,736 sq ft |
| Rural population | 36.3% | n/a |
| Urban population | 63.7% | n/a |
| Living in agglomerations of 1M+ people | 15% | 0% |
Densely populated cities
|
South Africa
|
|
|---|---|
| City | Population |
| Johannesburg | 4.8M |
| Cape Town | 3.78M |
| Soweto | 1.27M |
| Pietermaritzburg | 839K |
| Pretoria | 742K |
| Durban | 595K |
| Rustenburg | 550K |
| Randburg | 337K |
| Port Elizabeth | 312K |
| East London | 267K |
Compare countries by 7 more topics
Population density in other countries
Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06); United Nations | World Population Prospects (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10); U.S. Census Bureau (1961–2025, retrieved 2026-02-08); Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20).
GeoRank.org/population-density/south-africa/vatican | CC BY
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Data sources:
- World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (1961–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
- United Nations | World Population Prospects (1960–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)
- U.S. Census Bureau (1961–2025, retrieved 2026-02-08)
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20)
- Wikidata (2011–2024, retrieved 2026-02-08)
Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.