Paarl — UN urban centre
Paarl: 259,665 people. Reference: 2025 annual estimate · World rank #2,249 of 12,138 source urban centres. Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025 (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Source identifier: 1281; territory: South Africa (ZAF). UN source workbook.
Method: Degree of Urbanisation (contiguous 1 km2 cells, density 1,500+ people/km2, total 50,000+). This is a source-defined urban centre, not a municipality or province. No association with a separate administrative entity is inferred from proximity or name.
Source centroid: -33.6949, 18.9953. National context uses World Bank estimates, a separate series and geography; no national share is inferred here.
UN population series
| Year | People | Method |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 79,663 | Estimate |
| 1990 | 102,319 | Estimate |
| 1995 | 118,869 | Estimate |
| 2000 | 133,731 | Estimate |
| 2005 | 150,178 | Estimate |
| 2010 | 170,468 | Estimate |
| 2015 | 196,633 | Estimate |
| 2020 | 232,413 | Estimate |
| 2025 | 259,665 | Estimate |
| 2030 | 287,492 | Projection |
| 2035 | 316,651 | Projection |
| 2040 | 355,206 | Projection |
| 2045 | 400,998 | Projection |
| 2050 | 448,328 | Projection |
Largest UN urban centres · Fastest-growing urban centres
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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.