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Soweto — GeoNames settlement population

Modelled live estimate · World Bank national growth (2025); not measured local growth
1,695,047
Recorded base: 1,695,047 · Population reference date not supplied in local record

Soweto has a recorded base population of 1,695,047 for the GeoNames settlement definition (Population reference date not supplied in local record). GeoNames settlement record; the moving counter uses World Bank national growth (2025); not measured local growth, not new population observations.

At a glance

Population definitionGeoNames settlement
Recorded population1,695,047
Country share2.62% of 64,747,319 (World Bank 2025)
World share0.021% of 8,215,424,893 (World Bank 2025)
Country database rank#3 of 536 GeoNames settlement records
World database rank#54 of 55,804 GeoNames settlement records

UN association

Geographic association unverified; no urban-centre population or rank attributed to this place.

Comparable database records

Same definition label: GeoNames settlement. Dates/boundaries may still differ; this is not a harmonised international city ranking. Ratios use 1,695,047 as denominator.

PlacePopulationvs Soweto
Caloocan1,712,945+1.1%
Pimpri-Chinchwad1,727,692+1.9%
Rasapūdipalem1,728,128+2.0%
Phoenix1,650,070−2.7%
Ecatepec de Morelos1,645,352−2.9%

About these numbers

Source: GeoNames settlement record. Reference: Population reference date not supplied in local record. Live method: exponential projection from modelling anchor 2025-07-01 using World Bank national growth (2025); not measured local growth (+1.15% per year). This anchor is a modelling convention, not an observed population date. Tiles, ranks and comparisons use the recorded base figure 1,695,047, not the ticking estimate. Country/world denominators are World Bank values and can differ in date and method from local/UN values. Ranks cover only records with the same definition label in this database, not all cities in the world.

Harmonised UN urban-centre ranking · Embed

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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.

Urban and administrative population explained →

Interpretation reviewed 12 October 2026. Underlying reference years are stated on the page; this is not a fresh census or dataset refresh.