The total population in South Africa was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 4.9 million people (+7.75 percent). After the tenth consecutive increasing year, the total population is estimated to reach 68.06 million people and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the total population was continuously increasing over the past years.As defined by the International Monetary Fund, the total population of a country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.Find more key insights for the total population in countries like Botswana, Eswatini, and Lesotho.

Chart and table of South Africa population from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

Population ages 65 and above, male (% of male population) in South Africa was reported at 5.1613 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Population ages 65 and above, male (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

As of 2022, South Africa's population increased and counted approximately 60.6 million inhabitants in total, of which the majority (roughly 49.1 million) were Black Africans. Individuals with an Indian or Asian background formed the smallest population group, counting approximately 1.56 million people overall. Looking at the population from a regional perspective, Gauteng (includes Johannesburg) is the smallest province of South Africa, though highly urbanized with a population of nearly 16 million people.

Increase in number of households

The total number of households increased annually between 2002 and 2022. Between this period, the number of households in South Africa grew by approximately 65 percent. Furthermore, households comprising two to three members were more common in urban areas (39.2 percent) than they were in rural areas (30.6 percent). Households with six or more people, on the other hand, amounted to 19.3 percent in rural areas, being roughly twice as common as those in urban areas.

Main sources of income

The majority of the households in South Africa had salaries or grants as a main source of income in 2019. Roughly 10.7 million drew their income from regular wages, whereas 7.9 million households received social grants paid by the government for citizens in need of state support.

In 2025, 70 percent of the population in Mozambique lived in extreme poverty (with less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day), the highest score recorded in the Southern African region. Conversely, Botswana registered the lowest share, with 13 percent of its population living in destitute conditions.

Population ages 0-14, male in South Africa was reported at 8277850 Persons in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Population, ages 0-14, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

International migrant stock is the number of people born in a country other than that in which they live. It also includes refugees. The data used to estimate the international migrant stock at a particular time are obtained mainly from population censuses. The estimates are derived from the data on foreign-born population--people who have residence in one country but were born in another country. When data on the foreign-born population are not available, data on foreign population--that is, people who are citizens of a country other than the country in which they reside--are used as estimates. After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 people living in one of the newly independent countries who were born in another were classified as international migrants. Estimates of migrant stock in the newly independent states from 1990 on are based on the 1989 census of the Soviet Union. For countries with information on the international migrant stock for at least two points in time, interpolation or extrapolation was used to estimate the international migrant stock on July 1 of the reference years. For countries with only one observation, estimates for the reference years were derived using rates of change in the migrant stock in the years preceding or following the single observation available. A model was used to estimate migrants for countries that had no data.

Population ages 15-19, female (% of female population) in South Africa was reported at 8.0043 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Population ages 15-19, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

In 2025, over 24.6 million people in Mozambique lived in extreme poverty (with less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day), the highest number within Southern Africa. The country also scored the highest share of its overall population living below the poverty line in the region. On the other hand, Botswana had the lowest number of just over 322,400 people living in impoverished conditions, accounting for 13 percent of the overall population.

Population ages 50-54, female (% of female population) in South Africa was reported at 4.7494 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Population ages 50-54, female (% of female population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

In 2025, nearly 11.7 percent of the world population in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 2.15 U.S. dollars a day, lived in Nigeria. Moreover, the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounted for around 11.7 percent of the global population in extreme poverty. Other African nations with a large poor population were Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar. Poverty levels remain high despite the forecast decline Poverty is a widespread issue across Africa. Around 429 million people on the continent were living below the extreme poverty line of 2.15 U.S. dollars a day in 2024. Since the continent had approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants, roughly a third of Africa’s population was in extreme poverty that year. Mozambique, Malawi, Central African Republic, and Niger had Africa’s highest extreme poverty rates based on the 2.15 U.S. dollars per day extreme poverty indicator (updated from 1.90 U.S. dollars in September 2022). Although the levels of poverty on the continent are forecast to decrease in the coming years, Africa will remain the poorest region compared to the rest of the world. Prevalence of poverty and malnutrition across Africa Multiple factors are linked to increased poverty. Regions with critical situations of employment, education, health, nutrition, war, and conflict usually have larger poor populations. Consequently, poverty tends to be more prevalent in least-developed and developing countries worldwide. For similar reasons, rural households also face higher poverty levels. In 2024, the extreme poverty rate in Africa stood at around 45 percent among the rural population, compared to seven percent in urban areas. Together with poverty, malnutrition is also widespread in Africa. Limited access to food leads to low health conditions, increasing the poverty risk. At the same time, poverty can determine inadequate nutrition. Almost 38.3 percent of the global undernourished population lived in Africa in 2022.

As of January 2024, there were 45.3 million internet users in South Africa. This was an increase of roughly 1.8 million individuals compared to the previous year. The digital population increased significantly from close to 25 million in 2013.

Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Buffalo City, South Africa metro area from 1950 to 2025. United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035.

South Africa urban population for 2023 was 41,576,651, a 1.58% increase from 2022.

• South Africa urban population for 2022 was 40,928,486, a 1.57% increase from 2021.
• South Africa urban population for 2021 was 40,295,863, a 1.74% increase from 2020.
• South Africa urban population for 2020 was 39,605,450, a 1.98% increase from 2019.

Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.

Population ages 0-14, total in South Africa was reported at 16488886 Persons in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Population, ages 0-14, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

As of 2023, the total population of Africa was over 1.48 billion. The number of inhabitants on the continent increased annually from 2000 onwards. In comparison, the total population was around 831 million in 2000. According to forecasts, Africa will experience impressive population growth in the coming years and would nearly reach the Asian population by 2100. Over 200 million people in Nigeria Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. In 2023, the country’s population exceeded 223 million people. Ethiopia followed with a population of around 127 million, while Egypt ranked third, accounting for approximately 113 million individuals. Other leading African countries in terms of population were the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya. Additionally, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad recorded the highest population growth rate on the continent in 2023, with the number of residents rising by over 3.08 percent compared to the previous year. On the other hand, the populations of Tunisia and Eswatini registered a growth rate below 0.85 percent, while for Mauritius and Seychelles, it was negative. Drivers for population growth Several factors have driven Africa’s population growth. For instance, the annual number of births on the continent has risen constantly over the years, jumping from nearly 32 million in 2000 to almost 46 million in 2023. Moreover, despite the constant decline in the number of births per woman, the continent’s fertility rate has remained considerably above the global average. Each woman in Africa had an average of over four children throughout her reproductive years as of 2021, compared to a world rate of around two births per woman. At the same time, improved health and living conditions contributed to decreasing mortality rate and increasing life expectancy in recent years, driving population growth.

There were 31 968 600 Facebook users in South Africa in January 2025, which accounted for 51.7% of its entire population. The majority of them were women - 50.6%. People aged 25 to 34 were the largest user group (9 800 000). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 25 to 34, where women lead by 4 800 000.

In 2025, 81 percent of the population in South Sudan and Burundi lived in extreme poverty (with less than 2.15 U.S. dollars a day), the highest scores recorded in the East African region. Mauritius registered the lowest share, with one percent of the population living in destitute conditions.

There were 28 142 500 Messenger users in South Africa in January 2025, which accounted for 45.5% of its entire population. The slight majority of them were women - 50.2%. People aged 25 to 34 were the largest user group (8 700 000). The highest difference between men and women occurs within people aged 55 to 64, where women lead by 544 700.

In 2025, the total ratios of medical specialties per 100,000 population in South Africa are expected to make minor improvements in some areas of expertise compared to those ratios recorded in 2019. However, the actual ratios are presumed to be lower than the recommended target ratios in all specialties, with anesthesiology having the biggest capacity shortage at 2.48, with the recommended target being 5.23. On the other hand, nuclear physicians are expected to make the most notable improvements and only fall short of the recommended target by 0.02.