Rural population (% of total population) in South Africa was reported at 30.7 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

South Africa ZA: Rural Land Area data was reported at 53,460.313 sq km in 2010. This stayed constant from the previous number of 53,460.313 sq km for 2000. South Africa ZA: Rural Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 53,460.313 sq km from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 53,460.313 sq km in 2010 and a record low of 53,460.313 sq km in 2010. South Africa ZA: Rural Land Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Rural land area in square kilometers, derived from urban extent grids which distinguish urban and rural areas based on a combination of population counts (persons), settlement points, and the presence of Nighttime Lights. Areas are defined as urban where contiguous lighted cells from the Nighttime Lights or approximated urban extents based on buffered settlement points for which the total population is greater than 5,000 persons.; ; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/lecz-urban-rural-population-land-area-estimates-v2.; Sum;

Eastern Africa was the region with the highest share of people living in rural areas in Africa. In 2023, almost 70 percent of the population in the region resided in rural areas. On the other hand, some 34 percent of the individuals in Southern Africa lived in rural areas, the lowest on the continent.

South Africa ZA: Rural Population Growth data was reported at -0.235 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of -0.168 % for 2016. South Africa ZA: Rural Population Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.217 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.679 % in 1972 and a record low of -0.329 % in 2008. South Africa ZA: Rural Population Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

As of 2022, households comprising two to three members were more common in urban areas, with just over 39 percent, than in rural areas, where 30.6 percent amounted to households of that size. Families inhabiting six or more people, however, amounted to 19.3 percent in rural areas, being roughly twice the amount of those in urban areas.

South Africa: Rural population, percent of total population: The latest value from 2023 is 31.18 percent, a decline from 31.67 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 38.64 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 1960 to 2023 is 45.29 percent. The minimum value, 31.18 percent, was reached in 2023 while the maximum of 53.38 percent was recorded in 1960.

Rural population growth (annual %) in South Africa was reported at --0.29859 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Rural population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

South Africa ZA: Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Land Area data was reported at 0.068 % in 2010. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.068 % for 2000. South Africa ZA: Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Land Area data is updated yearly, averaging 0.068 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.068 % in 2010 and a record low of 0.068 % in 2010. South Africa ZA: Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters: % of Total Land Area data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Land area below 5m is the percentage of total land where the elevation is 5 meters or less.; ; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/lecz-urban-rural-population-land-area-estimates-v2.; Weighted average;

Abstract

The World Values Survey aims to attain a broad understanding of socio-political trends (i.e. perceptions, behaviour and expectations) among adults across the world.

Geographic coverage

National The sample was distributed as follows: 60% metropolitan (large cities with populations of 250 000+); 40% non-metropolitan (including cities, large towns, small towns, villages and rural areas)

Analysis unit

Individual

Universe

The sample included adults 16 years+ in South Africa

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample had to be representative of urban as well as rural populations. Roughly the distribution was as follows: - South Africa: 60% metropolitan (large cities with populations of 250 000+); 40% non-metropolitan (including cities, large towns, small towns, villages and rural areas).

A standard form of sampling instructions was sent to each agency to ensure uniformity in the sampling procedure. Markinor stratified the samples for each country by region, sex and community size. To this end, statistics and figures that were supplied to us by the agencies were used. However, we requested the agencies to revise these where necessary or where alternatives would be more effective. The agencies then supplied the street names for the urban starting points, and made suggestions for sampling procedures in rural areas where neither maps nor street names were available. From sample-point level, the respondent selection was done randomly according to a selection grid used by Markinor (the first two pages of the master questionnaire).

Substitution was permitted after three unsuccessful calls. Six interviews were conducted at each sample point. The male/female split was 50/50. The urban sample included all community sizes greater than 500 and the rural sample all community sizes less than 500. This is the definition of urban and rural used in South Africa.

Remarks about sampling: -Final numbers of clusters or sampling points: 500 -Sample unit from office sampling: Street Names

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The WVS questionnaire was translated from the English questionnaire by a specialist translator The translated questionnaire was pre-tested. The pre-tests were part of the general pilots. In total 20 pilots were conducted. The English questionnaire from the University of Michigan was used to make the WVS. Extra questions were added at the end of the questionnaire. Also, country specific questions were included at the end of the questionnaire, just before the demographics.The sample was designed to be representative of the entire adult population, i.e. 18 years and older, of your country. The lower age cut-off for the sample was 16 and there was not any upper age cut-off for the sample.

Cleaning operations

Some measures of coding reliability were employed. Each questionnaire is coded against the coding frame. A minimum of 10% of each coders work is checked to ensure consistency in interpretation. If any discrepancies in interpretation are World Values Survey (1999-2004) - South Africa 2001 v.2015.04.18 discovered, a 100% check is carried out on that particular coders work. Errors were corrected individually and automatically.

Sampling error estimates

The error margins for this survey can be calculated by taking the following factors into account: - all samples were random (as opposed to quota-controlled) - the sample size per country (or segment being analysed) - the substitution rate per country (or segment being analysed) - the rates were recorded on CARD 1; col. 805 of the questionnaire. From the substitution rate, the response rate can be calculated.

South Africa ZA: Rural Population data was reported at 19,368,909.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 19,414,403.000 Person for 2016. South Africa ZA: Rural Population data is updated yearly, averaging 17,726,563.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19,799,952.000 Person in 2003 and a record low of 9,318,644.000 Person in 1960. South Africa ZA: Rural Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Sum;

Rural population in South Africa was reported at 19651487 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Rural population - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

South Africa ZA: Rural Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters data was reported at 674.114 sq km in 2010. This stayed constant from the previous number of 674.114 sq km for 2000. South Africa ZA: Rural Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters data is updated yearly, averaging 674.114 sq km from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 674.114 sq km in 2010 and a record low of 674.114 sq km in 2010. South Africa ZA: Rural Land Area Where Elevation is Below 5 Meters data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Rural land area below 5m is the total rural land area in square kilometers where the elevation is 5 meters or less.; ; Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)/Columbia University. 2013. Urban-Rural Population and Land Area Estimates Version 2. Palisades, NY: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/lecz-urban-rural-population-land-area-estimates-v2.; Sum;

This scatter chart displays rural land area (km²) against access to electricity (% of population) in South Africa. The data is about countries per year.

Abstract

In 1947 South Africa's National Council for Social Research initiated and funded an investigation into the social conditions in a "Native Reserve" in South Africa. The Keiskammahoek District in the Ciskei, in the eastern part of the Union of South Africa, was selected as a sample native rural area for this study. The region was about 220 square miles with a population of approximately 18,000 inhabitants. The study includes a Family Budget Survey, which as conducted from 1948 to 1950 on a sample of 277 households in five villages in the area (Chatha, Gxulu, Lenye-Burnshill, Mthwaku, and Rabula). The budget survey collected data on agricultural production and household income and expenditure. This dataset is a data subset on tobacco production, income and expenditure of households in these villages. The tobacco data file can be merged with the other data files from the Keiskammahoek Rural Survey available on DataFirst's open data site.

Geographic coverage

The Keiskammahoek Rural Survey covered the Keiskammahoek area of the Ciskei, in the eastern part of the Union of South Africa, now the Eastern Cape Province. Data in the current dataset is for the five villages in which households were enumerated. These are: Mthwaku (households coded J1-50), Catha (K1-75), Rabula ( M1-M50), Lenye-Burnshill (S1-S52), and Gxulu (T1-T50).

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

The universe of the survey was all household members in each Umzi (household unit) in the five villages.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Data on tobacco production, income and expenditure was collected by means of a household budget survey questionnaire, administered to households in the villages enumerated.

South Africa ZA: Rural Population: % of Total Population data was reported at 34.150 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 34.659 % for 2016. South Africa ZA: Rural Population: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 48.761 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 53.381 % in 1960 and a record low of 34.150 % in 2017. South Africa ZA: Rural Population: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.; Weighted average;

Abstract

In 1997 the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC) of Brown University undertook a series of comparative training and research projects in three countries - Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Guatemala. The projects were concerned with the training of planners and researchers in procedures for collecting and analyzing information on migration and its relation to development, women's status, health, and reproduction. Recognizing the importance of migration in South Africa and the pressing need for increasing the number of qualified researchers capable of focussing on this topic, in 1998 the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provided additional funds to add South Africa to the project. The Centre for Population Studies (CENPOPS) at Pretoria University was given responsibility for the project, working in cooperation with scholars from PSTC at Brown University. The focus of the South African project was on the country's black population. Migration is defined in the survey as movement from one district to another or, if movement is within a district, between a rural and an urban area.

Geographic coverage

The survey had national coverage

Analysis unit

Units of analysis in the survey include communities, households and individuals

Universe

The survey covered the African South African population 18 years or older.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

For this study, a national sample of the African South African population 18 years or older was drawn. South Africa was stratified into three primary strata: (a) metropolitan areas, (b) other urban areas and (c) rural areas. Samples were then drawn independently from each of the three types of localities. Initially, in each of the three locality types, 800 respondents were to be drawn, resulting in a total sample size of 2,400. The 800 respondents in each stratum were to be drawn from 20 randomly selected Primary Sampling Units (PSUs), either a "transitional local council" (TLC) or a "transitional rural council" (TRC) in the following way: Four Enumerator Areas (EAs) would be randomly selected in each PSU. From each selected EA 10 households would be randomly selected, and finally, one adult respondent would be selected randomly in each household. It was later decided to draw 11 households in each EA, instead of 10, to ensure that there would be sufficient room to deal with refusals and non-responses.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

was designed to gather information through a national sample survey at several levels: the community, the household, and the individual. To do so, three different questionnaires were developed to be used in the field surveys.

(i) A household questionnaire designed to obtain a household roster, information about the household as a unit, and information related to the migration status of the various household members; (ii) An individual questionnaire designed to elicit information about a selected migrant or non-migrant adult member of the household, and (iii) A community questionnaire designed to obtain information on the characteristics of rural locations included in the sampled areas.

This scatter chart displays forest area (km²) against rural population (people) in Southern Africa. The data is about countries per year.

Regular consumption of legumes is recommended worldwide for its environmental and health benefits. Cowpea, the most-frequently consumed pulse in West African countries, is rich in nutrients and health-promoting bioactive compounds. In southern Benin, a wide variety of cowpea-based dishes are observed. To quantify the consumption of cowpea-based dishes by the Beninese population, a one-week retrospective Food Frequency Questionnaire and a food atlas were used. Participants were 1217 adults (19-65 years) from three urban or rural areas in southern Benin : 641 adults in Cotonou (surveyed in 2017), and 576 in Adjohoun and Allada (288 respondents per rural area, surveyed in 2019). Data were collected on digital tablets using SurveyCTO™. The FFQ included two parts. In the first part, data on the household head's socio-professional characteristics, household income and expenses, household belongings, and housing characteristics were collected to characterize the household socio-economic index. In the second part, data on the consumption of cowpea-based dishes and the estimation of the quantities consumed over one week were recorded. During the FFQ-based interviews, general questions about the consumption of various legume species were first asked. This was followed by questions on the cowpea-based dish types consumed by the respondent during the previous week (7-day recall). For each cowpea-based dish, we recorded how many times it was consumed, the last place of consumption, and the quantity usually consumed (estimated using the food atlas). The research protocols describing all procedures that implicated human participants in Cotonou and in the rural areas were submitted to the Benin National Committee of Ethics for Health Re-search, and approved. The clearance numbers are N° 29 (2017) and N°14 (2019) for the survey in Cotonou and in the rural areas respectively. Informed Consent Statement: All respondents gave their signed consent to participate before the start of each interview. The respondents' anonymity was respected, as stated in the consent form.

This dataset explores (1) labor supply and (2) perceptions and impacts of COVID-19 via 4 quarterly phone surveys in rural Malawi. The sample was chosen randomly from among those that reported cell phone numbers in a previous multi-topic, in person survey in several regions of rural Malawi.

Abstract

The 1997 rural survey was designed to determine to what extent rural households in the former homelands had access to land and to income-generating activities. In addition the survey sought to obtain data on actual farming activities. The survey was the first of its kind undertaken by Statistics South Africa.

Geographic coverage

The survey had national coverage but only of the former "homeland" areas.

Analysis unit

Units of analysis in the survey were households and individuals

Universe

The survey covered households in the former "homelands" of South Africa

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The 1996 census sampling frame was used to select EAs for the 1997 Rural Survey but the survey was restricted to the former homeland areas, i.e. Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, and Ciskei (TBVC states); KaNgwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Gazankulu, Qwaqwa and Lebowa (self governing territories). A total of 600 enumeration areas (EAs) were drawn and 10 households were selected from each EA, yielding a sample of about 6000 households. Sample selection was carried out independently in each stratum applying a two stage sampling procedure; a systematic sample of EAs followed by a systematic sample of households.Former homelands in six provinces were regarded as natural occurring strata and as a result Western Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng were not part of the strata.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]