Which has higher population, Kenya or South Africa?

South Africa, at 64.01 million against 56.43 million in Kenya as of 2024.

What is the difference in population between Kenya and South Africa?

7.57 million, with South Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and South Africa?

65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.

Where does this data come from?

International Monetary Fund, published as Population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Kenya vs South Africa: Population

Kenya

56.43 million

in 2024

South Africa

64.01 million

in 2024

Kenya rank

26th

South Africa rank

24th

Population over time

Kenya
South Africa

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 64.01 million against 56.43 million in Kenya, a difference of 7.57 million.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Kenya's.

Across all 65 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Kenya ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 24th of 186 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Kenya	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1960s	9.22 million	18.89 million	9.67 million	South Africa
1970s	13.34 million	25.38 million	12.05 million	South Africa
1980s	18.94 million	34.50 million	15.56 million	South Africa
1990s	26.26 million	44.05 million	17.79 million	South Africa
2000s	35.36 million	49.31 million	13.95 million	South Africa
2010s	46.51 million	55.92 million	9.41 million	South Africa
2020s	54.29 million	62.33 million	8.04 million	South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population, Kenya or South Africa?: South Africa, at 64.01 million against 56.43 million in Kenya as of 2024.
What is the difference in population between Kenya and South Africa?: 7.57 million, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and South Africa?: 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
How do Kenya and South Africa rank globally for population?: Kenya ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 24th of 186 countries.
Where does this data come from?: International Monetary Fund, published as Population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Kenya vs South Africa: Population. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/compare/population-5/kenya/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator: Population
Source: International Monetary Fund
Licence: IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage: 186 places, 12,090 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed: 18 August 2026

Data on Gender-disaggregated on selected population characteristics.