Papua New Guinea vs South Africa: Population living in slums

Papua New Guinea
22.3%
in 2022
South Africa
24.2%
in 2022
Papua New Guinea rank
76th
South Africa rank
75th

Population living in slums over time

  • Papua New Guinea
  • South Africa
0102030200020112022

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 24.2% against 22.3% in Papua New Guinea, a difference of 1.9%.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Papua New Guinea's.

Across all 12 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Papua New Guinea ranks 76th and South Africa ranks 75th of 174 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Papua New Guinea South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 20.0% 26.8% 6.9% South Africa
2010s 21.6% 24.9% 3.3% South Africa
2020s 22.5% 24.2% 1.7% South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population living in slums, Papua New Guinea or South Africa?
South Africa, at 24.2% against 22.3% in Papua New Guinea as of 2022.
What is the difference in population living in slums between Papua New Guinea and South Africa?
1.9%, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Papua New Guinea and South Africa?
12 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2022.
How do Papua New Guinea and South Africa rank globally for population living in slums?
Papua New Guinea ranks 76th and South Africa ranks 75th of 174 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), published as Population living in slums (% of urban population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Papua New Guinea vs South Africa: Population living in slums. Statizoid, drawing on Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/compare/population-living-in-slums-percent-of-urban-population/papua-new-guinea/south-africa/

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<a href="https://poverty.statizoid.com/compare/population-living-in-slums-percent-of-urban-population/papua-new-guinea/south-africa/">Papua New Guinea vs South Africa: Population living in slums</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Population living in slums (% of urban population)
Unit
% of urban population
Source
Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
207 places, 2,376 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed

Population living in slums is the proportion of the urban population living in slum households. A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, housing durability, and security of tenure, as adopted in the Millennium Development Goal Target 7.D. The successor, the Sustainable Development Goal 11.1.1, considers inadequate housing (housing affordability) to complement the above definition of slums/informal settlements.