South Africa is the sixth African country with the largest population, counting approximately 60.5 million individuals as of 2021. In 2023, the largest city in South Africa was Cape Town. The capital of Western Cape counted 3.4 million inhabitants, whereas South Africa's second largest city was Durban (eThekwini Municipality), with 3.1 million inhabitants. Note that when observing the number of inhabitants by municipality, Johannesburg is counted as largest city/municipality of South Africa.

From four provinces to nine provinces

Before Nelson Mandela became president in 1994, the country had four provinces, Cape of Good Hope, Natal, Orange Free State, and Transvaal and 10 “homelands” (also called Bantustans). The four larger regions were for the white population while the homelands for its black population. This system was dismantled following the new constitution of South Africa in 1996 and reorganized into nine provinces. Currently, Gauteng is the most populated province with around 15.9 million people residing there, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 11.68 million inhabiting the province. As of 2022, Black African individuals were almost 81 percent of the total population in the country, while colored citizens followed amounting to around 5.34 million.

A diverse population

Although the majority of South Africans are identified as Black, the country’s population is far from homogenous, with different ethnic groups usually residing in the different “homelands”. This can be recognizable through the various languages used to communicate between the household members and externally. IsiZulu was the most common language of the nation with around a quarter of the population using it in- and outside of households. IsiXhosa and Afrikaans ranked second and third with roughly 15 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

Lagos, in Nigeria, ranked as the most populated city in Africa as of 2024, with an estimated population of roughly nine million inhabitants living in the city proper. Kinshasa, in Congo, and Cairo, in Egypt, followed with some 7.8 million and 7.7 million dwellers. Among the 15 largest cities in the continent, another two, Kano, and Ibadan, were located in Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa. Population density trends in Africa As of 2022, Africa exhibited a population density of 48.3 individuals per square kilometer. At the beginning of 2000, the population density across the continent has experienced a consistent annual increment. Projections indicated that the average population residing within each square kilometer would rise to approximately 54 by the year 2027. Moreover, Mauritius stood out as the African nation with the most elevated population density, exceeding 640 individuals per square kilometre. Mauritius possesses one of the most compact territories on the continent, a factor that significantly influences its high population density. Urbanization dynamics in Africa The urbanization rate in Africa was anticipated to reach close to 44 percent in 2021. Urbanization across the continent has consistently risen since 2000, with urban areas accommodating 35 percent of the total population. This trajectory is projected to continue its ascent in the years ahead. Nevertheless, the distribution between rural and urban populations shows remarkable diversity throughout the continent. In 2021, Gabon and Libya stood out as Africa’s most urbanized nations, each surpassing 80 percent urbanization. In 2023, Africa's population was estimated to expand by 2.35 percent compared to the preceding year. Since 2000, the population growth rate across the continent has consistently exceeded 2.45 percent, reaching its pinnacle at 2.59 percent between 2012 and 2013. Although the growth rate has experienced a deceleration, Africa's population will persistently grow significantly in the forthcoming years.

South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 26.327 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 26.291 % for 2016. South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 23.218 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.327 % in 2017 and a record low of 18.806 % in 1991. South Africa ZA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban 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: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.; ; United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.; Weighted Average;

As of 2023, South Africa's population increased and counted approximately 62.3 million inhabitants in total, of which the majority inhabited Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western-Eastern Cape. Gauteng (includes Johannesburg) is the smallest province in South Africa, though highly urbanized with a population of over 16 million people according to the estimates. Cape Town, on the other hand, is the largest city in South Africa with nearly 3.43 million inhabitants in the same year, whereas Durban counted 3.12 million citizens. However, looking at cities including municipalities, Johannesburg ranks first. High rate of young population South Africa has a substantial population of young people. In 2024, approximately 34.3 percent of the people were aged 19 years or younger. Those aged 60 or older, on the other hand, made-up over 10 percent of the total population. Distributing South African citizens by marital status, approximately half of the males and females were classified as single in 2021. Furthermore, 29.1 percent of the men were registered as married, whereas nearly 27 percent of the women walked down the aisle. Youth unemployment Youth unemployment fluctuated heavily between 2003 and 2022. In 2003, the unemployment rate stood at 36 percent, followed by a significant increase to 45.5 percent in 2010. However, it fluctuated again and as of 2022, over 51 percent of the youth were registered as unemployed. Furthermore, based on a survey conducted on the worries of South Africans, some 64 percent reported being worried about employment and the job market situation.

This dataset is about cities and is filtered where the country includes South Africa, featuring 7 columns including city, continent, country, latitude, and longitude. The preview is ordered by population (descending).

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.

In 2023, over 68.82 percent of South Africa's total population lived in urban areas and cities. Urbanization defines the share of urban population from the total population of a country. Just like urbanization, the population density within the nation has risen, reaching 46 inhabitants per square kilometer, meaning more people are sharing less space. Many opportunities for work and leisure can be found in the urban locations of South Africa, and as such the five largest municipalities each now have over three million residents. Facing its economic strengths and drawbacks South Africa is a leading services destination, as it is one of the most industrialized countries in the continent of Africa. The majority of the country’s gross domestic product comes from the services sector, where more than 70 percent of the employed population works. Unemployment is seen as a critical indicator of the state of an economy, and for South Africa, a high rate of over 25 percent could indicate a need for a shift in economic policy. As of 2017, South Africa was one of the twenty countries with the highest rate of unemployment in the world.

Nigeria has the largest population in Africa. As of 2024, the country counted over 232.6 million individuals, whereas Ethiopia, which ranked second, has around 132 million inhabitants. Egypt registered the largest population in North Africa, reaching nearly 116 million people. In terms of inhabitants per square kilometer, Nigeria only ranks seventh, while Mauritius has the highest population density on the whole African continent. The fastest-growing world region Africa is the second most populous continent in the world, after Asia. Nevertheless, Africa records the highest growth rate worldwide, with figures rising by over two percent every year. In some countries, such as Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad, the population increase peaks at over three percent. With so many births, Africa is also the youngest continent in the world. However, this coincides with a low life expectancy. African cities on the rise The last decades have seen high urbanization rates in Asia, mainly in China and India. However, African cities are currently growing at larger rates. Indeed, most of the fastest-growing cities in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Gwagwalada, in Nigeria, and Kabinda, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ranked first worldwide. By 2035, instead, Africa's fastest-growing cities are forecast to be Bujumbura, in Burundi, and Zinder, Nigeria.

As of 2024, South Africa's population increased, counting approximately 63 million inhabitants. Of these, roughly 27.5 million were aged 0-24, while 654,000 people were 80 years or older. Gauteng and Cape Town are the most populated Although South Africa’s yearly population growth has been dropping since 2013, the growth rate still stood above the world average in 2021. That year, the global population increase reached 0.94 percent, while for South Africa, the rise was 1.23 percent. The majority of the people lived in the borders of Gauteng, the smallest of the nine provinces in land area. The number of people residing there amounted to 15.9 million in 2021. Although Western Cape was the third-largest province, one of it cities, Cape Town, had the highest number of inhabitants in the country, at 3.4 million. An underemployed younger population South Africa has a large population under 14, who will be looking for job opportunities in the future. However, the country's labor market has had difficulty integrating these youngsters. Specifically, as of the third quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate reached close to 60 percent and 42.9 percent among people aged 15-24 and 25-34 years, respectively. In the same period, some 25 percent of the individuals between 15 and 24 years were economically active, while the labor force participation rate was higher among people aged 25 to 34, at 71.2 percent.

Abstract

In the year 2000 a small team of social scientists from the Universities of Cape Town and Michigan collaborated on designing a survey with a special focus on labour market issues as a precursor to a Cape Area Panel Study with a special focus on youth planned for the year 2002. After much debate and taking due cognisance of time and budget constraints the team decided to target the magisterial district of Mitchell’s Plain within the Cape Metropole for the survey.

This decision was informed by data gleaned from the 1996 census which revealed that Mitchell’s Plain – demarcated a magisterial district in 1986 – contained almost thirty percent of the population in the Cape Metropolitan Council area. It straddled the two cities of Cape Town and Tygerberg and housed nearly 74% of the African and over 20% of the ‘coloured’ metropolitan population. It included the three established African townships of Langa, Gugulethu and Nyanga as well as informal settlements such as Crossroads and Browns Farm. It also included Khayelitsha an African township proclaimed in the early 1980s with the first houses being built in 1986. The 1996 census had recorded high unemployment rates of over 44%, for Africans and over 20% for Coloured people.

Geographic coverage

The survey covers the Khayelitsha and Mitchell's Plain areas of Cape Town, South Africa.

Analysis unit

The unit of analysis for this survey includes households and individuals.

Universe

The survey covers the African and Coloured populations of the Khayelitsha and Mitchell's Plain areas of Cape Town.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample was designed to represent all adults (18 years of age and older) in the Mitchell’s Plain Magisterial district. As discussed above, the most cost-efficient method of interviewing residents of such a large area is to use a two-stage cluster sample. The first stage of this sample entails selecting clusters of households and the second stage entails the selection of the households themselves. For our clusters of households, we relied on the Enumerator Areas as defined by Statistics South Africa for the 1996 Population Census. These Enumerator Areas are neighbourhoods of roughly 50 to 200 households. They are drawn up by the Chief Directorate of Demography at Statistics South Africa. This directorate is responsible for developing and maintaining a GIS system that provides the maps that are used for conducting the five-yearly national population census (Statistics South Africa, 2001:42-44). Although Enumerator Area boundaries do not cross municipal boundaries, they do not correspond to any other administrative demarcations such as voting wards. Enumerator Areas are designed to be homogeneous with respect to housing type and size. For example, Enumerator Area boundaries within the Mitchell’s Plain Magisterial District do not usually cut across different types of settlements such as squatter camps, site and service settlements, hostels, formal council estates or privately built estates. Instead, each Enumerator Area is homogeneous with respect to any one of these housing types.

The method of selection used was that of Probability Proportional to Size (PPS). The measure of size being the number of households in each Enumerator Area as measured by the 1996 Population Census. This method was chosen as it provides the most efficient way to obtain equal subsample sizes across two stages of selection, i.e. we are able to select the Enumerator Areas and then select from each Enumerator Area a constant number of households for all Enumerator Areas in the sample. The sample is implicitly stratified by location and by housing type.

A more detailed description of the sampling method and procedure for this survey can be found in the sampling method document available through this site under Other Study Materials.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The household questionnaire: Was aimed at establishing the household roster with the usual questions on age, gender and relationships. It was divided into two sections covering those aged 18 and older and those younger than 18. For the latter a separate set of questions covering education, health and work status was included.

The adult questionnaire: Was aimed to fit the international standard approach on the labour force by allocating the labour market status of ‘employee’ to all those ‘at work’ (for profit or family gain, in cash or in kind). One of the innovative aspects of the survey was that respondents were asked about all income-earning activities. In other words, they were not allocated into particular labour market categories during the process of the interview.

The adult questionnaire was divided into 13 sections:

• Section A on education and other characteristics covered age, racial classification, educational attainment, language, religion and health. • Section B on migration covered place of origin, relocation and destination. • Section C on intergenerational mobility aimed at capturing parental influence on the respondent. • Section D on employment history aimed at capturing the respondent’s work history. • Section E on wage employment attempted to capture respondents working for a wage or salary whether full-time, part-time, in the formal sector or the informal sector including those who had more than one job. • Section F on unemployment included questions on job search • Section G on self-employment included a question on more than one economic activity and the frequency of self-employment. • Section H on non-labour force participants was aimed at refining work status. • Section I on casual work aimed to capture not only those in irregular/short term employment but also people who might have more than one job. • Section J on helping other people with their business for gain was aimed at identifying respondents who assist others from time to time but who might not regard themselves as ‘working’. • Section K on reservation wages attempted to establish the lowest wage at which a respondent would accept work. • Section L on savings, borrowing and grants and investment income attempted to capture income derived from sources other than work • Section M on perceptions of distributive justice posed a number of attitudinal questions.

This dataset is about countries in South Africa, featuring 5 columns: capital city, continent, country, currency, and inflation. The preview is ordered by population (descending).

The fastest growing city in Africa is Bujumbura, in Burundi. In 2020, this city had an estimated population of about one million. By 2035, the population of Bujumbura could increase by 123 percent and reach roughly 2.3 million people. Zinder, in Niger, had about half million inhabitants in 2020 and, with a growth rate of 118 percent, is Africa's second fastest growing city. In 2035, Zinder could have over one million residents.

As of 2021, the largest city in whole Africa is Lagos, in Nigeria. Other highly populated cities in Africa are Kinshasa, in Congo, Cairo, and Alexandria, both located in Egypt.

Graph and download economic data for Population Estimate, Total, Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American Alone (5-year estimate) in Union County, SD (B03002014E046127) from 2009 to 2023 about Union County, SD; Sioux City; SD; African-American; latino; hispanic; estimate; persons; 5-year; population; and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Population Estimate, Total, Not Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American Alone (5-year estimate) in Meade County, SD (B03002004E046093) from 2009 to 2023 about Meade County, SD; Rapid City; SD; African-American; non-hispanic; estimate; persons; 5-year; population; and USA.

Southern African cities face several challenges including management of rapid urbanization, rising populations, expanding informal settlements; adequate water and other service provision, and a host of governance challenges. Climate change and variability add a compounding effect to this complex, multi stressor context. Addressing the complexity requires an understanding of urban ecosystems functioning and interactions amongst the built and natural environment (climate) and human systems. In this paper we argue that learning is essential for cities to be resilient to current and future challenges. We profile the Future Resilience for African CiTies And Lands (FRACTAL) project which contributed towards climate resilient development by providing relevant climate information for decision-making at the city regional scale in southern Africa. Following FRACTAL’s city-to-city learning approach of sharing good practices, knowledge and experiences framed around transdisciplinary research, the study cities of Harare, Lusaka, Windhoek and Durban conducted city learning exchange visits between 2017 and 2018. We used a mixed methods approach to collect and analyze historical climate and hydrological data and current socio-economic and development data among the cities. A qualitative, in-depth, case study comparative analysis was used to identify similarities and differences as well as lessons drawn from the learning process during the city exchanges and these were complimented by desktop studies. Results showed water scarcity, large informal settlements, reliance on external water and energy sources, inadequate protection of ecologically sensitive resources and service provision as some of the common complications in the cities. Several lessons and transferable practices learnt from the cities included effective water conservation and waste management and the use of public-private partnerships in Windhoek, community engagements in Durban and Lusaka while lessons on decisive leadership in dealing with informal settlements emanated from Harare’s limited informal settlements. Lastly, Durban’s Adaptation Charter and integrated climate planning provided lessons for biodiversity protection and mainstreaming climate change at city governance level. While we recognize that cities are context-specific we consider these good practices as being broadly transferable to other southern African cities. We conclude that social, experiential and structured learning can be an innovative way of multi-stakeholder engagement and a useful approach to increase city resilience planning across southern Africa and cities that face similar developmental challenges.

Indicator 11.3.1 Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate. This dataset contains information related to Land Consumption. This includes;Land Consumption Rate- A measure of the compactness i.e a measure of the progressive expansion of a city. This is the rate of uptake of land by urban developments including the urbanized open spaces. Ratio of Land Consumption to Population Growth Rate- This is a measure of land use efficiency that shows whether the remaining undeveloped urban land is being developed at a rate that is less than, or greater than, the prevailing rate of population growth.Change in Built Up Area- This is the percentage change in total area of the impervious surfaces in the city proper—roofs, streets, and parking lots—but excluding urbanized open space, both public and private, as well as vacant lands (measured in hectares) between two time periods.Built Up Area per Capita - This refers to the Average Built-Up Area per Person (m2)

Part of the British Academy Knowledge Frontiers: International Interdisciplinary Research funding programme. Funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). We are one of nine research projects bringing together novel, interdisciplinary ideas from across the humanities and social sciences in collaboration with the natural, medical and engineering sciences to propose solutions to international challenges past, present and future.• Theme of ‘What is a good city?’• 2-year projects with interdisciplinary and international teams• Projects “strengthen understanding of international challenges … and engage with questions concerning the relationship between expertise, public understanding and policy delivery internationally.” (British Academy)This research project investigated the challenge of food insecurity in cities as experienced by migrant communities and explored the role of traditional foods in well-being. The global population is increasingly urbanised, with Sub-Saharan Africa experiencing the fastest rate of urban population growth. South Africa is a centre for regional migration, with Johannesburg being the destination for the largest proportion of both within-country and international migrants. The project focused on two migrant groups in Johannesburg - South African rural-to-urban migrants and international regional migrants. Urban populations are dependent on food markets for daily sustenance and nutrition, hence access to affordable, acceptable and nutritious food through markets must be prioritised by cities. By identifying the drivers of food choice in urban migrant and immigrant populations around traditional foods, barriers to consumption and engaging with those involved in knowledge in urban planning and development, this project aimed to go some way towards tackling the problem of urban food insecurity and malnutrition.

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

In 2023, Gabon had the highest urbanization rate in Africa, with over 90 percent of the population living in urban areas. Libya and Djibouti followed at around 82 percent and 79 percent, respectively. On the other hand, many countries on the continent had the majority of the population residing in rural areas. As of 2023, urbanization in Malawi, Rwanda, Niger, and Burundi was below 20 percent. A growing urban population On average, the African urbanization rate stood at approximately 45 percent in 2023. The number of people living in urban areas has been growing steadily since 2000 and is forecast to increase further in the coming years. The urbanization process is being particularly rapid in Burundi, Uganda, Niger, and Tanzania. In these countries, the urban population grew by over 4.2 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. The most populous cities in Africa Africa’s largest city is Lagos in Nigeria, counting around nine million people. It is followed by Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cairo in Egypt, each with over seven million inhabitants. Moreover, other cities on the continent are growing rapidly. The population of Bujumbura in Burundi will increase by 123 percent between 2020 and 2035, registering the highest growth rate on the continent. Other fast-growing cities are Zinder in Niger, Kampala in Uganda, and Kabinda in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Graph and download economic data for Population Estimate, Total, Not Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American Alone (5-year estimate) in Pennington County, SD (B03002004E046103) from 2009 to 2023 about Pennington County, SD; Rapid City; SD; African-American; non-hispanic; estimate; persons; 5-year; population; and USA.