Demographics of South Africa explained

Size Of Population:	62 million (2022 Census)^[1]
Density:	48.1/sqkm
Growth:	1.06%
Birth:	19.5 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death:	11.0 deaths/1,000 population (2022)
Life:	64.7 years (2019 est.)
Life Male:	64.8 years (2022 est.)
Life Female:	71.3 years (2022 est.)
Infant Mortality:	24.3 deaths/1,000 (2022 est.)
Fertility:	2.34 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Age 0-14 Years:	28.8% (2019 est.)
Age 15-64 Years:	65.2% (2019 est.)
Age 65 Years:	6% (2019 est.)
Total Mf Ratio:	0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Sr At Birth:	1.02 male(s)/female
Sr Under 15:	1 male(s)/female
Sr 15-64 Years:	1.02 male(s)/female
Sr 65 Years Over:	0.68 male(s)/female

According to the 2022 census, the population of South Africa is about 62 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions.^[2] The South African National Census of 2022 was the most recent census held; the next will be in 2032.^[3]

In 2011, Statistics South Africa counted 2.1 million foreigners in total.^[4] Reports suggest that is an underestimation. The real figure may be as high as five million,^[5] including some three million Zimbabweans.^[6]

Population

Earlier Censuses, 1904 to 2011

1904 Census

South African population figures for the 1904 Census.^[7]

	Cape Colony	Natal	Transvaal	Orange River Colony	Total	Percent
Black	1,424,787	904,041	937,127	225,101	3,491,056
White	579,741	97,109	297,277	142,690	1,116,805
Coloured	395,034	6,686	24,226	19,282	445,228
Indian	10,242	100,918	11,321	253	122,734
Total	2,409,804	1,108,754	1,269,951	387,315	5,175,463
% of S. Africa

1960 Census

Sources: Statesman's Year-Book 1967–1968;^[8] Europa Year Book 1969^[9]

	Cape of Good Hope	Natal	Transvaal	Orange Free State	Total	Percent
Black	3,011,080	2,199,920	4,633,378	1,083,886	10,928,264
White	1,003,207	340,235	1,468,305	276,745	3,088,492
Coloured	1,330,089	45,253	108,007	25,909	1,509,258
Indian	18,477	394,854	63,787	7	477,125
Total	5,362,853	2,980,262	6,273,477	1,386,547	16,003,139
% of S. Africa

1904–85 national census numbers

Bantustan demographics were removed from South African census data during Apartheid and for this reason official figures on the national population of the country during that period will be inaccurate.^[10]

Year

	Blacks			Whites			Coloureds			Asians			Total
	Popu- lation (1,000 people)	%		Popu- lation (1,000 people)	%		Popu- lation (1,000 people)	%		Popu- lation (1,000 people)	%		Popu- lation (1,000 people)	Area included
1904		4,019			1,117			445			122			5,174	South Africa
1911		3,490			1,276			525			152			5,972	South Africa
1921		4,697			1,521			545			163			6,926	South Africa
1936		6,596			2,003			769			220			9,588	South Africa
1946		7,830			2,372			928			285			11,415	South Africa
1951		8,560			2,642			1,103			367			12,672	South Africa
1960		10,928			3,088			1,509			477			16,002	South Africa
1970		11,891			3,759			2,039			630			18,319	South Africa - excluding Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda & Ciskei
1970		15,340			3,773			2,051			630			21,794	South Africa
1980		13,135			4,221			2,459			748			20,563	South Africa - excluding Transkei, Bophuthatswana & Venda
1980		16,992			4,512			2,688			803			24,995	South Africa - estimate
1985		15,163			4,569			2,833			821			23,386	South Africa - excluding Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda & Ciskei
1985		19,052			4,837			2,396			879			27,704	South Africa - estimate
Year		Blacks			Whites			Coloureds			Asians			Total	Area included

1996 Census

Source: The People of South Africa: Population Census, 1996^[11]

map		Black	White	Coloured	Indian/ Asian	Other	Total	% of S.A.
1	Northern Cape	278,633	111,844	435,368	2,268	12,208	840,321
2	Western Cape	826,691	821,551	2,146,109	40,376	122,148	3,956,875
3	Eastern Cape	5,448,495	330,294	468,532	19,356	35,849	6,302,525
4	KwaZulu-Natal	6,880,652	558,182	117,951	790,813	69,423	8,417,021
5	Mpumalanga	2,497,834	253,392	20,283	13,083	16,120	2,800,711
6	Free State	2,223,940	316,459	79,038	2,805	11,262	2,633,504
7	Gauteng	5,147,444	1,702,343	278,692	161,289	58,654	7,348,423
8	Northern Province (Limpopo)	4,765,255	117,878	7,821	5,510	32,904	4,929,368
9	North West	3,058,686	222,755	46,652	10,097	16,635	3,354,825
	South Africa Total	31,127,631	4,434,697	3,600,446	1,045,596	375,204	40,583,573
	Percent
	Population Group →	Black	White	Coloured	Asian	Other	Total	% of RSA

2001 Census

Source: Statistics South Africa: Census 2001^[12]

	Eastern Cape	Free State	Gauteng	KwaZulu-Natal	Limpopo	Mpumalanga	Northern Cape	North West	Western Cape	Total	Percent
Black	5,635,079	2,381,073	6,522,792	8,002,407	5,128,616	2,886,345	293,976	3,358,450	1,207,429	35,416,166
White	304,506	238,791	1,758,398	483,448	126,276	203,244	102,042	244,035	832,901	4,293,640
Coloured	478,807	83,193	337,974	141,887	10,163	22,158	424,389	56,959	2,438,976	3,994,505
Indian/Asian	18,372	3,719	218,015	798,275	8,587	11,244	2,320	9,906	45,030	1,115,467
Total	6,436,763	2,706,775	8,837,178	9,426,017	5,273,642	3,122,990	822,727	3,669,349	4,524,335	44,819,778
% of S.A.

2011 Census

Source: Census 2011: Census in Brief^[13]

	Eastern Cape	Free State	Gauteng	KwaZulu-Natal	Limpopo	Mpumalanga	Northern Cape	North West	Western Cape	Total	Percent
Black	5,660,230	2,405,533	9,493,684	8,912,921	5,224,754	3,662,219	576,986	3,152,063	1,912,547	41,000,938
Coloured	541,850	83,844	423,594	141,376	14,415	36,611	461,899	71,409	2,840,404	4,615,401
White	310,450	239,026	1,913,884	428,842	139,359	303,595	81,246	255,385	915,053	4,586,838
Indian/Asian	27,929	10,398	356,574	756,991	17,881	27,917	7,827	20,652	60,761	1,286,930
Other	21,595	6,790	84,527	27,170	8,459	9,597	17,903	10,444	93,969	280,454
Total	6,562,053	2,745,590	12,272,263	10,267,300	5,404,868	4,039,939	1,145,861	3,669,349	5,822,734	51,770,560
% of S.A.

2022 Census

Source: Census 2022 Statistical Release^[14]

	Eastern Cape	Free State	Gauteng	KwaZulu-Natal	Limpopo	Mpumalanga	Northern Cape	North West	Western Cape	Total	Percent
Black	6,189,075	2,630,556	12,763,312	10,535,830	6,341,601	4,898,063	679,383	3,562,524	2,884,511	50,486,856
Coloured	547,741	78,141	443,857	183,019	18,409	32,100	563,6059	60,720	3,124,757	5,052,349
White	403,061	235,915	1,509,800	513,377	167,524	185,731	99,150	171,887	1,217,807	4,504,252
Indian/Asian	37,568	12,978	329,736	1,157,542	35,958	25,882	10,824	2,654	84,363	1,697,506
Other	48,339	4,274	35,890	27,442	7,172	440	2,667	5,894	115,235	247,353
Total	7,225,784	2,961,864	15,084,595	12,417,210	6,570,664	5,142,216	1,355,629	3,803,679	7,426,673	61,988,314
% of S.A.

Historical and projected population for the years 1 to 2022

UN Age and population estimates: 1950 to 2030

According to the 2019 revision of the United Nations Secretariat's World Population Prospects, South Africa's total population was 55,386,000 in 2015, compared to only 13,628,000 in 1950. In 2015, 29.3% of the people were children under the age of 15, 65.7% were between 15 and 64 years of age, and 5.0% were 65 or older.^[15] All population estimates are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Year	Total population	Percentage in age bracket
under 15 years old	15 to 64 years old	at least 65 years old
1950	13,628,000
1955	15,207,000
1960	17,100,000
1965	19,385,000
1970	22,070,000
1975	25,195,000
1980	28,557,000
1985	32,679,000
1990	36,801,000
1995	41,436,000
2000	44,968,000
2005	47,881,000
2010	51,217,000
2015	55,386,000
2020	59,309,000
2025	62,803,000
2030	65,956,000

UN population projections: 2019 to 2100

^[16]

Vital statistics

Statistics South Africa: From 2002 to present

The following statistics are obtained from the mid-year population estimates published by Statistics South Africa:^[17]

	Average population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1,000)	Crude death rate (per 1,000)	Natural change (per 1,000)	Total fertility rates
2002	46,355,083	983,092	596,983	386,109	21.2	12.9	8.7	2.45
2003	46,806,354	991,067	617,135	373,932	21.2	13.2	8.0	2.42
2004	47,310,050	1,057,881	645,841	412,040	22.4	13.7	8.7	2.54
2005	47,860,360	1,102,207	673,977	428,230	23.0	14.1	8.9	2.59
2006	48,446,414	1,137,157	696,827	440,330	23.5	14.4	9.1	2.63
2007	49,088,699	1,171,370	696,160	475,210	23.9	14.2	9.7	2.65
2008	49,794,560	1,196,958	686,582	510,376	24.0	13.8	10.2	2.66
2009	50,544,931	1,203,604	643,045	560,559	23.8	12.7	11.1	2.62
2010	51,328,662	1,203,967	603,347	600,620	23.5	11.8	11.7	2.58
2011	52,129,117	1,192,033	561,381	630,652	22.9	10.8	12.1	2.51
2012	52,930,356	1,184,320	544,956	639,364	22.4	10.3	12.1	2.46
2013	53,751,095	1,179,957	535,678	644,279	22.0	10.0	12.0	2.42
2014	54,574,401	1,177,893	521,005	656,888	21.6	9.5	12.1	2.39
2015	55,406,634	1,167,002	525,739	641,263	21.1	9.5	11.6	2.35
2016	56,252,336	1,145,354	517,030	628,324	20.4	9.2	11.2	2.29
2017	57,097,857	1,168,092	515,722	652,370	20.5	9.0	11.5	2.33
2018	57,939,226	1,182,107	516,635	665,472	20.4	8.9	11.5	2.35
2019	58,775,022	1,178,116	518,613	659,503	20.0	8.8	11.2	2.34
2020	59,622,350	1,173,943	519,865	654,078	19.7	8.7	11	2.33
2021	60,142,978	1,166,304	695,913	470,391	19.4	11.6	7.8	2.31
2022	62,027,503	1,175,776	663,075	512,701	18.95	10.69	8.26

Mid-year population estimates for South Africa by population group and sex, 2020

Population Group	Male		Female		Total
	Number	% Distribution of Males	Number	% Distribution of Females	Number	% Distribution of Total
Black African	23,519,474	80.7	24,634,253	80.8	48,153,727	80.8
Coloured	2,555,204	8.8	2,692,536	8.8	5,247,740	8.8
Indian/Asian	787,662	2.7	753,451	2.5	1,541,113	2.6
White	2,266,535	7.8	2,413,235	7.9	4,679,770	7.8
Total	29,128,875	100.0	30,493,475	100.0	59,622,350	100.0

United Nations estimates, 2019

The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.^[15] (Natural increase or decrease over a time period is the difference between that period's live births and deaths, before accounting for inward or outward migration.)

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural Increase per year	Crude Birth Rate (per 1,000 per year)	Crude Death Rate (per 1,000 per year)	Natural Increase (per 1,000 per year)	Total Fertility Rate (over av'ge woman's life)	Infant Mortality Rate (per 100,000 live births)
1950–1955	606,600	292,400	+ 314,200	42.1	20.7	+ 21.8	6.05	134
1955–1960	669,400	293,800	+ 375,600	41.4	18.2	+ 23.3	6.05	121
1960–1965	740,200	304,600	+ 435,600	40.6	16.7	+ 23.9	6.00	112
1965–1970	810,600	313,600	+ 497,000	39.1	15.2	+ 24.0	5.80	103
1970–1975	896,000	315,400	+ 580,600	37.9	13.3	+ 24.6	5.50	89
1975–1980	967,400	309,800	+ 657,600	36.0	11.5	+ 24.5	5.05	71
1980–1985	1,099,200	311,000	+ 788,200	35.9	10.2	+ 25.7	4.90	56
1985–1990	1,147,400	299,400	+ 848,000	33.0	8.6	+ 24.4	4.40	46
1990–1995	1,074,600	318,000	+ 756,600	27.5	8.1	+ 19.3	3.51	41
1995–2000	1,026,600	448,000	+ 578,600	23.8	10.4	+ 13.4	2.88	47
2000–2005	1,051,600	626,800	+ 424,800	22.7	13.5	+  9.2	2.61	54
2005–2010	1,166,200	671,400	+ 494,800	23.5	13.6	+ 10.0	2.62	48
2010–2015	1,207,200	557,200	+ 650,000	22.6	10.5	+ 12.2	2.55	33
2015–2020	1,185,000	546,000	+ 639,000	20.7	9.5	+ 11.1	2.41	27
2020–2025	1,159,600	573,200	+ 586,400	19.0	9.4	+  9.6	2.31	24
2025–2030	1,143,400	604,400	+ 539,000	17.8	9.4	+  8.4	2.22	21
Total Fertility Rate = average number of children over a woman's lifetime; Infant Mortality Rate per 100,000 live births

Age and sex distribution

See also: South African National Census of 2011.

Age group	Male	Female percent	Female	Total	Percent of RSA
0–14	7,969,880	49.6%	7,842,388	15,812,268	31.3%
15–64	15,538,934	51.8%	16,696,600	32,235,534	63.7%
65+	1,006,222	51.8%	1,532,733	2,538,955	5.0%
All ages	24,515,036	51.5%	26,071,721	50,586,757	100%

Age group	Male	Female percent	Female	Total	Percent of RSA
under 5	2,867,585	49.6%	2,817,867	5,685,452	11.0%
5–9	2,425,181	49.7%	2,394,570	4,819,751	9.3%
10–14	2,344,275	49.0%	2,250,611	4,594,886	8.9%
15–19	2,498,572	50.1%	2,504,905	5,003,477	9.7%
20–24	2,694,646	49.9%	2,679,896	5,374,542	10.4%
25–29	2,542,682	49.7%	2,516,635	5,059,317	9.8%
30–34	2,036,206	49.5%	1,992,804	4,029,010	7.8%
35–39	1,709,347	50.7%	1,758,420	3,467,767	6.7%
40–44	1,402,328	52.4%	1,546,291	2,948,619	5.7%
45–49	1,195,740	54.4%	1,424,543	2,620,283	5.1%
50–54	1,011,349	54.4%	1,206,940	2,218,289	4.3%
55–59	811,950	54.8%	985,458	1,797,408	3.5%
60–64	612,364	55.8%	773,404	1,385,768	2.7%
65–69	401,548	58.1%	556,256	957,804	1.9%
70–74	293,498	60.8%	454,832	748,330	1.4%
75–79	165,283	65.7%	315,984	481,267	0.9%
80–84	100,694	68.8%	222,222	322,916	0.6%
85-plus	75,543	70.5%	180,130	255,673	0.5%
TOTAL	25,188,791	51.3%	26,581,769	51,770,560	100%

Age and race distribution

See also: South African National Census of 2011.

Age distribution within each racial group

By generation

Age group	All races	Black African	Coloured	White	Indian or other Asian	Others
	%		%		%		%		%		%
0–14	15,100,089		12,702,324		1,311,811		771,187		258,602		56,164
15–64	33,904,479		26,502,329		3,085,684		3,165,965		939,379		211,126
65-plus	2,765,992		1,796,285		217,906		649,686		88,949		13,164
All ages	51,770,560		41,000,938		4,615,401		4,586,838		1,286,930		280,454
% of SA

Racial composition of each age group in 2015 (estimates)

Age group	All races	Black African	Coloured	White	Indian or other Asian
	%		%		%		%		%
0–14	16,612,043		14,244,663		1,288,601		789,492		289,285
15–64	35,465,499		28,170,797		3,299,771		3,026,475		968,649
65-plus	2,879,378		1,812,535		244,544		718,041		104.068
All ages	54,956,920	100%	44,227,995		4,832,916		4,534,008		1,362,002
% of SA

By five-year cohorts

Age group	All races	Black African	Coloured	White	Indian or other Asian
	%		%		%		%		%
under 5	5,936,350	10.80%	5,156,508	11.66%	426,156	8.82%	254,978	5.62%	98,708	7.25%
5 to 9	5,537,225	10.08%	4,746,115	10.73%	430,666	8.91%	263,378	5.81%	97,065	7.13%
10 to 14	5,138,468	9.35%	4,342,040	9.82%	431,779	8.93%	271,136	5.98%	93,512	6.87%
15 to 19	5,124,373	9.32%	4,292,220	9.70%	437,412	9.05%	295,733	6.52%	99,007	7.27%
20 to 24	5,302,246	9.65%	4,461,515	10.09%	426,013	8.81%	306,415	6.76%	108,304	7.95%
25 to 29	5,232,254	9.52%	4,437,570	10.03%	389,429	8.06%	287,485	6.34%	117,771	8.65%
30 to 34	4,307,693	7.84%	3,535,173	7.99%	366,955	7.59%	281,358	6.21%	124,206	9.12%
35 to 39	3,774,921	6.87%	3,001,989	6.79%	376,488	7.79%	279,439	6.16%	117,005	8.59%
40 to 44	3,204,952	5.83%	2,444,972	5.53%	368,886	7.63%	288,370	6.36%	102,725	7.54%
45 to 49	2,738,580	4.98%	2,004,009	4.53%	307,363	6.36%	335,434	7.40%	91,774	6.74%
50 to 54	2,297,586	4.18%	1,619,249	3.66%	264,593	5.47%	332,977	7.34%	80,767	5.93%
55 to 59	1,942,942	3.54%	1,334,800	3.02%	209,933	4.34%	328,999	7.26%	69,210	5.08%
60 to 64	1,539,953	2.80%	1,039,301	2.35%	152,698	3.16%	290,075	6.40%	57,879	4.25%
65 to 69	1,153,159	2.10%	737,581	1.67%	105,403	2.18%	265,818	5.86%	44,357	3.26%
70 to 74	805,114	1.46%	511,723	1.16%	65,465	1.35%	198,876	4.39%	28,949	2.13%
75 to 79	502,005	0.91%	313,800	0.71%	41,978	0.87%	128,675	2.84%	17,552	1.29%
80-plus	419,100	0.76%	249,431	0.56%	31,698	0.66%	124,672	2.75%	13,210	0.97%
All ages	54,956,920	100%	44,227,995	(100%)	4,832,916	(100%)	4,534,008	(100%)	1,362,002	(100%)
% of SA	100%		80.48%		8.79%		8.25%		2.48%

Age group	All races	Black African	Coloured	White	Indian or other Asian
	%		%		%		%
under 5	5,936,350	5,156,508	86.86%	426,156	7.18%	254,978	4.30%	98,708	1.66%
5 to 9	5,537,225	4,746,115	85.71%	430,666	7.78%	263,378	4.76%	97,065	1.75%
10 to 14	5,138,468	4,342,040	84.50%	431,779	8.40%	271,136	5.28%	93,512	1.82%
15 to 19	5,124,373	4,292,220	83.76%	437,412	8.54%	295,733	5.77%	99,007	1.93%
20 to 24	5,302,246	4,461,515	84.14%	426,013	8.03%	306,415	5.78%	108,304	2.04%
25 to 29	5,232,254	4,437,570	84.81%	389,429	7.44%	287,485	5.49%	117,771	2.25%
30 to 34	4,307,693	3,535,173	82.07%	366,955	8.52%	281,358	6.53%	124,206	2.88%
35 to 39	3,774,921	3,001,989	79.52%	376,488	9.97%	279,439	7.40%	117,005	3.10%
40 to 44	3,204,952	2,444,972	76.29%	368,886	11.51%	288,370	9.00%	102,725	3.21%
45 to 49	2,738,580	2,004,009	73.18%	307,363	11.22%	335,434	12.25%	91,774	3.35%
50 to 54	2,297,586	1,619,249	70.48%	264,593	11.52%	332,977	14.49%	80,767	3.52%
55 to 59	1,942,942	1,334,800	68.70%	209,933	10.80%	328,999	16.93%	69,210	3.56%
60 to 64	1,539,953	1,039,301	67.49%	152,698	9.92%	290,075	18.84%	57,879	3.76%
65 to 69	1,153,159	737,581	63.96%	105,403	9.14%	265,818	23.05%	44,357	3.85%
70 to 74	805,114	511,723	63.56%	65,465	8.13%	198,876	24.70%	28,949	3.60%
75 to 79	502,005	313,800	62.51%	41,978	8.36%	128,675	25.63%	17,552	3.50%
80-plus	419,100	249,431	59.52%	31,698	7.56%	124,672	29.75%	13,210	3.15%
All ages	54,956,920	44,227,995		4,832,916		4,534,008		1,362,002
% of SA		80.48%		8.79%		8.25%		2.48%

Racial composition of each age group in 2020 (estimates)

Source:^[18]

Age group	All races	Black African	Coloured	White	Indian or other Asian
	%		%		%		%		%
0–14	17,050,955	28.60%	14,605,416	30.33%	1,408,553	26.84%	742,913	15.87%	294,073	19.08%
15–64	38,941,221	65.31%	31,368,174	65.14%	3,487,284	66.45%	2,988,634	63.86%	1,097,129	71.19%
65-plus	3,630,174	6.09%	2,180,137	4.53%	351,903	6.71%	948,223	20.26%	149,911	9.73%
All ages	59,622,350	100%	48,153,727	(100%)	5,247,740	(100%)	4,679,770	(100%)	1,541,113	(100%)
% of SA	100%		80.76%		8.80%		7.85%		2.58%

Age group	All races	Black African	Coloured	White	Indian or other Asian
	%		%		%		%		%
under 5	5,743,450	9.63%	4,940,751	10.26%	476,322	9.08%	226,715	4.84%	99,662	6.47%
5 to 9	5,715,952	9.59%	4,890,895	10.16%	475,518	9.06%	249,991	5.34%	99,548	6.46%
10 to 14	5,591,553	9.38%	4,773,770	9.91%	456,713	8.70%	266,207	5.69%	94,863	6.16%
15 to 19	4,774,579	8.01%	4,031,704	8.37%	411,056	7.83%	243,267	5.20%	88,552	5.75%
20 to 24	4,823,367	8.09%	4,043,432	8.40%	423,180	8.06%	254,465	5.44%	102,290	6.64%
25 to 29	5,420,754	9.09%	4,586,780	9.53%	435,746	8.30%	267,654	5.72%	130,574	8.47%
30 to 34	5,641,750	9.46%	4,769,499	9.90%	431,274	8.22%	296,160	6.33%	144,817	9.40%
35 to 39	4,798,293	8.05%	3,962,780	8.23%	381,858	7.28%	308,959	6.60%	144,696	9.39%
40 to 44	3,733,942	6.26%	2,988,999	6.21%	316,611	6.03%	306,414	6.55%	121,918	7.91%
45 to 49	3,169,648	5.32%	2,393,317	4.97%	312,665	5.96%	352,648	7.54%	111,018	7.20%
50 to 54	2,571,263	4.31%	1,834,191	3.81%	302,224	5.76%	337,839	7.22%	97,009	6.29%
55 to 59	2,211,309	3.71%	1,546,674	3.21%	264,967	5.05%	314,423	6.72%	85,245	5.53%
60 to 64	1,796,316	3.01%	1,210,798	2.51%	207,703	3.96%	306,805	6.56%	71,010	4.61%
65 to 69	1,408,665	2.36%	918,604	1.91%	150,941	2.88%	281,318	6.01%	57,802	3.75%
70 to 74	1,007,174	1.69%	619,106	1.29%	97,127	1.85%	248,673	5.31%	42,268	2.74%
75 to 79	637,062	1.07%	365,409	0.76%	56,822	1.08%	188,123	4.02%	26,708	1.73%
80-plus	577,273	0.97%	277,018	0.58%	47,013	0.90%	230,109	4.92%	23,133	1.50%
All ages	59,622,350	100%	48,153,727	(100%)	5,247,740	(100%)	4,679,770	(100%)	1,541,113	(100%)
% of SA	100%		80.76%		8.80%		7.85%		2.58%

Age group	All races	Black African	Coloured	White	Indian or other Asian
	%		%		%		%
under 5	5,743,450	4,940,751	86.02%	476,322	8.29%	226,715	3.95%	99,662	1.74%
5 to 9	5,715,952	4,890,895	85.57%	475,518	8.32%	249,991	4.37%	99,548	1.74%
10 to 14	5,591,553	4,773,770	85.37%	456,713	8.17%	266,207	4.76%	94,863	1.70%
15 to 19	4,774,579	4,031,704	84.44%	411,056	8.61%	243,267	5.10%	88,552	1.85%
20 to 24	4,823,367	4,043,432	83.83%	423,180	8.77%	254,465	5.28%	102,290	2.12%
25 to 29	5,420,754	4,586,780	84.62%	435,746	8.04%	267,654	4.94%	130,574	2.41%
30 to 34	5,641,750	4,769,499	84.54%	431,274	7.64%	296,160	5.25%	144,817	2.57%
35 to 39	4,798,293	3,962,780	82.59%	381,858	7.96%	308,959	6.44%	144,696	3.02%
40 to 44	3,733,942	2,988,999	80.05%	316,611	8.48%	306,414	8.21%	121,918	3.27%
45 to 49	3,169,648	2,393,317	75.51%	312,665	9.86%	352,648	11.13%	111,018	3.50%
50 to 54	2,571,263	1,834,191	71.33%	302,224	11.75%	337,839	13.14%	97,009	3.77%
55 to 59	2,211,309	1,546,674	69.94%	264,967	11.98%	314,423	14.22%	85,245	3.85%
60 to 64	1,796,316	1,210,798	67.40%	207,703	11.56%	306,805	17.08%	71,010	3.95%
65 to 69	1,408,665	918,604	65.21%	150,941	10.72%	281,318	19.97%	57,802	4.10%
70 to 74	1,007,174	619,106	61.47%	97,127	9.64%	248,673	24.69%	42,268	4.20%
75 to 79	637,062	365,409	57.36%	56,822	8.92%	188,123	29.53%	26,708	4.19%
80-plus	577,273	277,018	47.99%	47,013	8.14%	230,109	39.86%	23,133	4.01%
All ages	59,622,350	48,153,727		5,247,740		4,679,770		1,541,113
% of SA		80.76%		8.80%		7.85%		2.58%

Fertility rate (The Demographic Health Survey)

Fertility rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and CBR (Crude Birth Rate):^[19]

Year	Total		Urban		Rural
	CBR	TFR	CBR	TFR	CBR	TFR
1998	21.90	2.90 (2.3)	19.2	2.25 (1.8)	25.4	3.92 (2.9)
2016	22.3	2.6 (2.0)	21.9	2.4 (1.9)	23.1	3.1 (2.4)

Fertility rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) by ethnic group.

Year	Total	Black African	White	Coloured	Indian/Asian
1998	2.9 (2.3)	3.1 (2.4)	1.9 (1.5)	2.5 (2.1)
2016	2.6 (2.0)	2.7 (2.1)	1.5 (1.2)	2.5 (1.9)	1.7 (1.6)

Life expectancy

Life expectancy at birth from 1950 to 2020 (UN World Population Prospects):^[20]

Period	Life expectancy (years)
1950–1955	48.5
1955–1960	51.3
1960–1965	53.0
1965–1970	54.8
1970–1975	56.7
1975–1980	57.3
1980–1985	58.4
1985–1990	61.0
1990–1995	62.3
1995–2000	59.2
2000–2005	53.8
2005–2010	53.1
2010–2015	59.5
2015–2020	63.7

Ethnic groups

See main article: Ethnic groups in South Africa. Statistics South Africa asks people to describe themselves in the census in terms of five racial population groups.^[21] The 2011 census figures for these groups were African at 80.2%, White at 8.4%, Coloured at 8.8%, Indian/Asian at 2.5%, and Other/Unspecified at 0.5%.^[22]

The white percentage of the population has sharply declined. The first census in South Africa in 1911 showed that whites made up 22% of the population. This declined to 16% in 1980,^[23] 8.9% in 2011 and 7.65% in 2022.^[24] Coloured South Africans replaced Whites as the largest minority group around 2010.

Languages

See main article: Languages of South Africa. South Africa has twelve official languages:^[25] isiZulu^[22] 24.4%, isiXhosa^[22] 16.3%, Afrikaans^[22] 10.6%, English^[22] 8.7%, Sepedi^[22] 10.0%, Setswana^[22] 8.3%, Sesotho^[22] 7.8%, Xitsonga^[22] 4.7%, siSwati^[22] 2.8%, Tshivenda^[22] 2.5%, isiNdebele^[22] 1.7% and South African Sign Language.^[26]

In this regard, it is third only to Bolivia and India in number. While all the languages are formally equal, some languages are spoken more than others. According to the 2022 census, the three most spoken languages in the household are Zulu (24.4%), Xhosa (16.3%), and Afrikaans (10.6%).

Between 1996 and 2022, the proportion of Afrikaans speakers declined from 14.5% to 10.6% and English held steady at 8.7%, whle isiZulu grew from 22.8% to 24.4%, and Xhosa declined from 17.9% to 16.3%^[27]

The country also recognises several unofficial languages, including Sekholokoe, Fanagalo, Khwe, Lobedu, Nama, Northern Ndebele, Phuthi and San.^[28] These unofficial languages may be used in certain official uses in limited areas where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent. Nevertheless, their populations are not such that they require nationwide recognition.

Many of the "unofficial languages" of the San and Khoikhoi people contain regional dialects stretching northwards into Namibia and Botswana, and elsewhere. These people, who are a physically distinct population from other Africans, have their own cultural identity based on their hunter-gatherer societies. They have been marginalised to a great extent, and many of their languages are in danger of becoming extinct.

Many white South Africans also speak other European languages, such as Portuguese (also spoken by black Angolans and Mozambicans), German, Serbian and Greek, while some Indians and other Asians in South Africa speak South Asian languages, such as Bhojpuri, Tamil, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu and Telugu. Although many South Africans are of Huguenot (French) origin, South African French is spoken by fewer than 10,000 individuals country-wide. Congolese French is also spoken in South Africa by migrants.

The primary sign language of deaf South Africans is South African Sign Language. Other sign languages among indigenous peoples are also used.

By ethnicity

In 2011, the first language was Zulu for 28.1% of Black South African residents, Xhosa for 19.8%, Sepedi for 11.2%, Tswana for 9.7%, Sesotho for 9.3%, Tsonga for 5.5%, siSwati for 3.1%, Venda for 2.9%, English for 2.8%, Southern Ndebele for 2.6%, Afrikaans for 1.5%, while 3.4% had another first language.^[29]

Among whites, Afrikaans was the first language for 59.1% of the population, compared to 35.0% for English. Other languages accounted for the remaining 5.9%.^[29]

Religion

According to the 2022 national census, Christians accounted for 85.3% of the population. This includes Protestant (36.6%), Zionist Christian (11.1%), Pentecostal/Charismatic (8.2%), Roman Catholic (7.1%), Methodist (6.8%), Dutch Reformed (6.7%), Anglican (3.8%); members of other Christian churches accounted for another 36% of the population. Muslims accounted for 1.5% of the population, Other 2.3%, and 1.4% were Unspecified and None 15.1%.

Muslims are largely found among the Coloured and Indian ethnic groups. They have been joined by black or white South African converts as well as immigrants from other parts of Africa. South African Muslims claim that their faith is the fastest-growing religion of conversion in the country, with the number of black Muslims growing sixfold, from 12,000 in 1991 to 74,700 in 2004.^{[30] [31]}

The Hindu population has its roots in the British colonial period, but later waves of immigration from India have also contributed to it. Most Hindus are of South Asian origin, but there are many who come from mixed racial stock. Some are converts due to the efforts of ISKCON.

Other minority religions in South Africa are Sikhism, Jainism, Baháʼí Faith and Judaism.^[32]

By ethnicity

87.9% of black residents are Christian, 9.5% have no religion, 0.2% are Muslim, 0.1% are Jewish, 1.22% are Hindu and 2.3% have other or undetermined beliefs.

71.8% of white residents are Christian, 23.8% have no religion, 0.2% are Muslim, 1.4% are Jewish, and 0.0% are Hindu. 2.7% have other or undetermined beliefs.

Other demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2022.

• One birth every 27 seconds
• One death every 56 seconds
• One net migrant every 4 minutes
• Net gain of one person every 44 seconds

The following demographics are from the CIA World Factbook unless otherwise indicated.

Population

57,516,665 (2022 est.)

55,380,210 (July 2018 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 27.94% (male 7,894,742/female 7,883,266)

15-24 years: 16.8% (male 4,680,587/female 4,804,337)

25-54 years: 42.37% (male 12,099,441/female 11,825,193)

55-64 years: 6.8% (male 1,782,902/female 2,056,988)

65 years and over: 6.09% (2020 est.) (male 1,443,956/female 1,992,205)

0-14 years: 28.18% (male 7,815,651 /female 7,793,261)

15-24 years: 17.24% (male 4,711,480 /female 4,837,897)

25-54 years: 42.05% (male 11,782,848 /female 11,503,831)

55-64 years: 6.71% (male 1,725,034 /female 1,992,035)

65 years and over: 5.81% (male 1,351,991 /female 1,866,182) (2018 est.)

Birth rate

18.56 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 77th

19.9 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 78th

Death rate

9.26 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 52nd

9.3 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 57th

Total fertility rate

2.18 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 90th

2.26 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 91st

Population growth rate

0.93% (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 103rd

0.97% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 114th

Median age

Total: 28 years. Country comparison to the world: 142nd

Male: 27.9 years

Female: 28.1 years (2020 est.)

Total: 27.4 years. Country comparison to the world: 144th

Male: 27.2 years

Female: 27.6 years (2018 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

54.6% (2016)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 98th

-0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 138th

Dependency ratios

Total dependency ratio: 52.5 (2015 est.)

Youth dependency ratio: 44.8 (2015 est.)

Elderly dependency ratio: 7.7 (2015 est.)

Potential support ratio

12.9 (2015 est.)

Urbanization

Urban population: 68.3% of total population (2022)

Rate of urbanization: 1.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Urban population: 66.4% of total population (2018)

Rate of urbanization: 1.97% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 65.32 years. Country comparison to the world: 202nd

Male: 63.99 years

Female: 66.68 years (2022 est.)

Total population: 64.1 years (2018 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Degree of risk: intermediate (2020)

Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis

note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout South Africa; as of 6 June 2022, South Africa has reported a total of 3,968,205 cases of COVID-19 or 6,690.7 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with a total of 101,317 cumulative deaths or a rate of 170.83 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 6 June 2022, 36.33% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Ethnic groups

Black African 80.9%, colored 8.8%, white 7.8%, Indian/Asian 2.6% (2021 est.)

note: Colored is a term used in South Africa, including on the national census, for persons of mixed race ancestry who developed a distinct cultural identity over several hundred years

Languages

isiZulu (official) 24.7%, isiXhosa (official) 15.6%, Afrikaans (official) 12.1%, Sepedi (official) 9.8%, Setswana (official) 8.9%, English (official) 8.4%, Sesotho (official) 8%, Xitsonga (official) 4%, siSwati (official) 2.6%, Tshivenda (official) 2.5%, Khoi, Nama, and San languages 1.9% isiNdebele (official) 1.6% (2017 est.)

note: data represent language spoken most often at home

Education expenditures

6.8% of GDP (2020) Country comparison to the world: 22nd

6.1% of GDP (2017) Country comparison to the world: 34th

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

Total population: 95%

Male: 95.5%

Female: 94.5% (2019)

Total population: 94.4%

Male: 95.4%

Female: 95.4% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Total: 14 years

Male: 13 years

Female: 14 years (2019)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

Total: 59.4%

Male: 55.4%

Female: 64.1% (2020 est.)

Immigration

See main article: Immigration to South Africa. South Africa hosts a sizeable refugee and asylum seeker population. According to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, this population numbered approximately 144,700 in 2007. Groups of refugees and asylum seekers numbering over 10,000 included people from Zimbabwe (48,400), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (24,800), and Somalia (12,900). These populations mainly lived in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, and Port Elizabeth.^[33] Many refugees have now also started to work and live in rural areas in provinces such as Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.

Statistics SA assumes in some of their calculations that there are fewer than 2 million immigrants in South Africa.^[34] Other institutions, like the police and Médecins Sans Frontières place estimate the figure at 4 million.^{[35] [36] [37] [38]}

Immigration figures

Main countries of immigration in South Africa according to the 2011 Census and 2022 Census:

Source: 2022 South African census^[39]
Place of birth	data-sort-type="number"	Population, 2011	data-sort-type="number"	Population, 2022	data-sort-type="number"	Difference
	672,308	1,012,059	339,751
	393,231	416,564	23,333
	160,806	227,770	66,964
	86,606	198,807	112,201
	81,720	61,282	-20,438
	28,230	58,131	29,901
	40,575	36,140	-4,435
	31,165	27,350	-3,815
	26,341	24,718	-1,623
	30,054	24,625	-5,429
	26,061	23,328	-2,733
	19,696	20,894	1,198
	25,630	17,635	-7,995
	26,116	15,838	-10,278
	17,241	15,006	-2,235
	20,494	12,139	-8,355
	12,316	8,976	-3,340
	15,626	7,615	-8,011

Immigration assumptions by Statistics South Africa to South Africa based on race. Negative numbers represent net migration from South Africa to other countries.^[40]

Year	African	Asian	White
1985-2000	632 633	36 908	-202 868
2001-2006	565 916	25 310	-99 574
2006-2011	815 780	43 222	-106 787
2011-2016	972 995	54 697	-111 346
2016-2021	894 365	49 584	-90 956

Urbanization

See main article: List of municipalities in South Africa.

See also: Metropolitan municipality (South Africa).

"Urban areas contain about two-thirds of the population; many of these consist of huge informal or squatter settlements."^[41]

See also

• Statistics South Africa
• South African National Census of 2001
• South African National Census of 2011
• Afrikaans-speaking population of South Africa
• Jewish population of South Africa
• Ethnic groups in South Africa by municipality

Further reading

• Web site: Alexander. Mary. Black, white – or South African?. https://web.archive.org/web/20060704213525/http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/constitution/identity-300606.htm. dead. 4 July 2006. 30 June 2006. SAinfo. 26 June 2013.
• Web site: A Nation in the Making: A Discussion Document on Macro-Social Trends in South Africa . 2006 . Government of South Africa . 26 June 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060711171013/http://www.info.gov.za/otherdocs/2006/socioreport.pdf . 11 July 2006.

External links

• Sunday Standard article on Zimbabwe Refugee Crisis
• Contains information on the South African middle class
• Middle Class in South Africa-Significance, role and impact

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mid-year population estimates 2022 . stats sa . 8 September 2022.
2. Web site: Statistics South Africa - Census Dissemination . 2023-10-20 . census.statssa.gov.za.
3. Web site: Census 2021 New Methodologies Test. 20 July 2018. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). https://web.archive.org/web/20180804010519/http://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=11323. 4 August 2018. dead.
4. Web site: Table 3.5, Statistical release (Revised) P0301.4, Census 2011. Statssa.gov.za. 25 July 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151113203528/http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P03014/P030142011.pdf. 13 November 2015.
5. News: Nowhere left to go. 20 May 2008. 29 August 2017. The Economist.
6. Web site: Escape From Mugabe: Zimbabwe's Exodus . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160124000311/http://news.sky.com/story/573086/escape-from-mugabe-zimbabwes-exodus . 24 January 2016.
7. Smuts I: The Sanguine Years 1870–1919, W.K. Hancock, Cambridge University Press, 1962, pg 219
8. The Statesman's Year-Book, 1967–1968 (104th annual edition), edited by S.H. Steinberg, Macmillan, London; St. Martin's Press, New York, 1967, pages 1405–1424
9. The Europa Year Book 1969, Volume II: Africa, The Americas, Asia, Australasia, Europa Publications, London, 1969, page 1286
10. Ogura. Mitsuo. 1996. Urbanization and Apartheid in South Africa: Influx Controls and Their Abolition. The Developing Economies. en. 34. 4. 402–423. 10.1111/j.1746-1049.1996.tb01178.x. 12292280 . 1746-1049. free.
11. Web site: The People of South Africa: Population Census, 1996. Statistics South Africa . 1999. en . 19 April 2020 .
12. Web site: Statistics South Africa: Census 2001. Statistics South Africa . 2003. en . 20 April 2020 .
13. Web site: Census 2011: Census in Brief. Statistics South Africa . 2012. en . 20 April 2020 .
14. https://census.statssa.gov.za/assets/documents/2022/P03014_Census_2022_Statistical_Release.pdf
15. Web site: World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations. 2023-02-06. population.un.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20200617000901/https://population.un.org/wpp/ . 17 June 2020.
16. Web site: South Africa Population 2023 (Live) . 2023-04-02 . worldpopulationreview.com.
17. Web site: Archived publications for: P0302. www.statssa.gov.za. 2020-04-19.
18. http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0302/P03022020.pdf
19. Web site: The DHS Program - Quality information to plan, monitor and improve population, health, and nutrition programs. Dhsprogram.com. 29 August 2017.
20. Web site: World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations. 2017-07-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20160919061238/https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/. 19 September 2016. dead.
21. News: Lehohla. Pali. Debate over race and censuses not peculiar to SA. 5 May 2005. Business Report. 25 August 2013. Others pointed out that the repeal of the Population Registration Act in 1991 removed any legal basis for specifying 'race'. The Identification Act of 1997 makes no mention of race. On the other hand, the Employment Equity Act speaks of 'designated groups' being 'black people, women and people with disabilities'. The Act defines 'black' as referring to 'Africans, coloureds and Indians'. Apartheid and the racial identification which underpinned it explicitly linked race with differential access to resources and power. If the post-apartheid order was committed to remedying this, race would have to be included in surveys and censuses, so that progress in eradicating the consequences of apartheid could be measured and monitored. This was the reasoning that led to a 'self-identifying' question about 'race' or 'population group' in both the 1996 and 2001 population censuses, and in Statistics SA's household survey programme.. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070814143522/http://www.statssa.gov.za/news_archive/05may2005_1.asp. 14 August 2007.
22. Web site: Africa :: SOUTH AFRICA. 2 November 2022. CIA The World Factbook.
23. Book: ((Study Commission on U.S. Policy toward Southern Africa (U.S.))) . South Africa: time running out : the report of the Study Commission on U.S. Policy Toward Southern Africa . University of California Press . 1981 . 42 . 0-520-04547-5.
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25. https://census.statssa.gov.za/assets/documents/2022/P03014_Census_2022_Statistical_Release.pdf
26. The NA approves South African Sign Language as the 12th official language.
27. https://census.statssa.gov.za/assets/documents/2022/P03014_Census_2022_Statistical_Release.pdf
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30. In South Africa, many blacks convert to Islam. Christian Science Monitor. 10 January 2002. 29 August 2017.
31. Web site: Muslims say their faith growing fast in Africa . 15 November 2004 . Religionnewsblog.com . 7 November 2010.
32. Web site: South Africa – Section I. Religious Demography. U.S. Department of State. 15 July 2006.
33. News: World Refugee Survey 2008. U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. 19 June 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20071005040657/http://www.refugees.org/article.aspx?id=1941. 5 October 2007.
34. Web site: P03022009_6 . https://archive.today/20120805230305/http://www.statssa.gov.za/PublicationsHTML/P03022009/html/P03022009_6.html . dead . 5 August 2012. Statssa.gov.za . 5 January 2014.
35. News: 2005-11-08. So where are Zimbabweans going?. en-GB. 2023-02-06.
36. Web site: SA het baie meer mense as geraam. SA population may be much larger than previously thought. 1 June 2009. Slabbert . Antoinette . 2023-02-06. sake24.com. 15 July 2011. https://archive.today/20110715230442/http://www.sake24.com/articles/default/display_article.aspx?Channel=News_Home&ArticleId=6-1607_2524944&IsColumnistStory=False. dead.
37. Web site: South African Department of Home Affairs . 6 February 2016. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100918042227/http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/faq.asp . 18 September 2010.
38. [South African Police Service]
39. Web site: STATISTICAL RELEASE; Census 2022. 2024-01-10.
40. Web site: Mid-year population estimates 2022 . Statistics South Africa . 28 July 2022 . 14 November 2022.
41. Encyclopedia: South Africa: Settlement Patterns . 25 October 2017 . Britannica.com .