South Africa is a nation of diverse cultures and ethnicities. Humans are thought to have inhabited the land of South Africa for more than 100,000 years, but the population records don’t reflect quite that far back. The first inhabitants were the Koisan people and the country was entirely African until Europeans began colonizing throughout the 14th and 15th centuries. The ANC government claims that using these categories is essential in order to identify and track the progress of Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (HDI) which are people who, before democratisation and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993 (Act No.
South Africa is home to 63 million people. About 81.7% of them are black, 8.5% coloured, 2.6% Indian/Asian and 7.2% white. These ratios have changed since the country became a democracy in 1994.
South Africa's population growth triggers demand for housing and other services
Turning to demographics, the bureau in charge of providing statistics provided an estimate in 2010, which included five racial groups. Of the total South African population at the time, 79.4 percent declared themselves to be Black African while 9.2 percent were shown as White, 8.8 percent colored and 2.6 percent Indian or Asian.
As of the 2022 census, white South Africans make up 7.3% of the population, predominantly speak Afrikaans (61%) or English (36%), mostly identify as Christian (87%), and are unevenly distributed with the highest concentrations in Western Cape and Gauteng provinces.
The National Census of 1996 was the 1st comprehensive national census by the ANC government, after the democratic transition.
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In 2011, Statistics South Africa counted 2.1 million foreigners in total. Reports suggest that is an underestimation.
Population Size and Distribution
As of 2024, South Africa is home to 63 million people. Around 59.3 million people lived within the borders of South Africa, which ranked the country among the six most populated on the African continent.
The largest inhabited provinces were Gauteng (its capital city is Johannesburg) and KwaZulu-Natal (capital city Pietermaritzburg) with roughly 15.9 million and 11.7 million residents respectively. Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg were the cities with the largest communities, with close to 3.4 million, 3.1 million, and two million citizens.
The most striking difference is between Gauteng and the Northern Cape. Gauteng is a city region of just 18,178 square kilometres - 1.4% of South Africa’s land area - yet it’s home to over a quarter of the country’s people. In the provinces, differences in size and population mean different population densities. Gauteng, small but populous, has an average of 785 people for every square kilometre. KwaZulu-Natal has 117 people per square kilometre.
South Africans migrate away from poverty to where the jobs are. Gauteng is South Africa’s wealthiest province, mostly a city region and the centre of the country’s economy. The Western Cape, the third-largest provincial economy with the lowest poverty level, had net migration of 646,529 over the same 10 years. Conversely, KwaZulu-Natal - the second-largest - lost 18,333 of its people to migration from 2011 to 2021. The Eastern Cape has, by far, the highest level of poverty of all the provinces - and the highest number of people moving elsewhere. Its net migration for 2011 to 2021 was a negative 603,044.
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Ethnic Groups
Dominant population groups in South Africa. Ethnic groups in South Africa have a variety of origins. The majority population of South Africa are those who identify themselves as Indigenous Africans or 'Black people of South Africa', who are culturally and linguistically heterogeneous. They include Zulu, Xhosa, BaPedi (North Sotho), BaTswana, BaSotho (South Sotho), Tsonga, Swazi, Venda and South Ndebele people, all of whom are represented in the languages of South Africa.
These cultural groups are also found across southern Africa. The BaSotho are the majority ethnic group of Lesotho. The Tswana make up the majority of the population of Botswana. The Swazi are the majority in Swaziland.
As of the calculations of 2004, there were 34,216,164 people and 8,625,050 households in this category. Their population density is 29/km2 and the density of African households is 7/km2. They made up 79% of the total population of South Africa in 2011 and 81% in 2016.
The percentage of all African households that are made up of individuals is 19.9%. This population is dispersed across South Africa with 34 under the age of 15, 21.6% from 15 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 11.8% from 45 to 64 and 4.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age of an African South African is 21 years. For every 100 females there are 91.1 males.
With regard to education, 22.3% of African people aged 20 and over have received no schooling, 18.5% have had some primary, 6.9% have completed only primary school, 30.4% have had some high education, 16.8% have finished only high school and 5.2% have an education higher than the high school level. Overall, 22% of African people have completed high school and 59% aged 25 to 64, have an upper secondary education as their highest level of education.
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The percentage of housing units having a telephone and/or mobile phone in the dwelling is 31.1%. The percentage having access to a nearby phone is 57.2%, and 11.7% do not have nearby access or any access. The percentage of households that have a flush or chemical toilet is 41.9%. Refuse is removed from 41.3% of 'African households by the municipality at least once a week and 11% have no rubbish disposal. Some 17.9% have running water inside their dwelling, 51.7% have running water on their property and 80.2% have access to running water.
The percentage of African households using electricity for cooking is 39.3%, for heating, 37.2% and for lighting, 62%. 'The unemployment rate of the African population aged 15-65 is 28.1%. The median annual income of African working adults aged 15-65 is ZAR 12,073.
It is important to understand that today, not all people of multiracial heritage in South Africa identify as 'Coloured'. Some individuals of mixed heritage prefer to identify as 'Black, 'White', Indian or indigenous South Africans for example, as they are now free to choose. However, during the apartheid era this categorisation was enforced by law for anyone who was determined to be of multiracial descent by the government. This cultural group doesn't have a particular language or traditions because their identity stems from their shared history and sense of community.
The Cape 'Coloureds' originally descended sexual unions of European colonists with indigenous, African and Asian (ie: Javanese, Malay, Indian, Malagasy) slaves or indentured labourers. There is also a significant group of Chinese South Africans (approximately 300,000 or more). They were also classified as a subgroup of 'Coloured' under apartheid. In 2008, the Pretoria High Court ruled that the descendants of mainland Chinese who arrived before 1994, and had been classified as a subgroup of 'Coloured' by the apartheid government, were eligible for redress. Within the Coloured community, more recent immigrants will also be found i.e. In the 1980s and early 1990s the apartheid regime encouraged immigration particularly from Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.
The Khoikhoi and San people of South Africa are a minority indigenous population. The Khoikhoi were pastoralists and extensively integrated into the colonial economy, many converting early to Christianity. The San people were hunter-gatherers. These groups were not identified as Black South African, Native South African or Black African by the colonists, despite being the first inhabitants of South Africa.
Zimbabweans, Somalis, Ethiopians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Nigerians constitute the largest migrant communities in the last two decades.
White South Africans
White South Africans are South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original colonists, known as Afrikaners, and the Anglophone descendants of predominantly British colonists of South Africa. White South Africans are by far the largest population of White Africans. White settlement in South Africa began with Dutch colonisation in 1652, followed by British colonisation in the 19th century, which led to tensions and further expansion inland by Boer settlers.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, waves of immigrants from Europe and continued to grow the white population, which peaked in the mid-1990s. Under apartheid, strict racial classifications enforced a legal and economic order that privileged the white minority. Post-apartheid reforms such as Black Economic Empowerment had the goal of redistributing business opportunities and market access to previously disadvantaged groups, prompting reports of newfound economic vulnerability among some white South Africans as material advantages and disadvantages were beginning to be brought to light.
Since the 1990s, a large number of white South Africans have emigrated, due to concerns over crime and employment prospects, with a number returning in subsequent years. As of the 2022 census, white South Africans make up 7.3% of the population, predominantly speak Afrikaans (61%) or English (36%), mostly identify as Christian (87%), and are unevenly distributed with the highest concentrations in Western Cape and Gauteng provinces.
Between 2000 and 2010 South Africans of European descent returned in large numbers. As of the census of 2001, there are 4,293,638 Whites and 1,409,690 households in South Africa. Their population density is 4/km2 and the density of their households is 1.16/km2. The percentage of all White households that are made up of individuals is 19.1%. The average household size is 3.05 members.
In South Africa, this population is spread out, with 19% under the age of 15, 15.1% from 15 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age of a White person is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 94 males.
With regards to education, 1.4% of Whites aged 20 and over have received no schooling, 1,2% have had no more than some primary school education, 0,8% have only completed primary school, 25.9% have had no more than some high school education, 41.3% have finished only high school, and 29.8% have an education higher than the high-school level. The percentage of housing units having a telephone and/or mobile phone in the dwelling is 95.4%. The percentage having access to a nearby phone is 4,4%, and 0,2% do not have nearby access or any access.
The percentage of White households that have a flush or chemical toilet is 98.7%. Waste is removed from 90,8% of White households by the municipality at least once a week, and 0.5% have no rubbish disposal. Some 87.2% of White have running water inside their dwelling, 95.6% have running water on their property, and 99.4% have access to running water. The percentage of households using electricity for cooking is 96.6%, for heating, 93.2%, and for lighting, 99.2%.
The unemployment rate of the White population aged 15-65 is 4.1%. The median annual income of working adults aged 15-65 is ZAR 65,000.
Under the Population Registration Act of 1950, each inhabitant of South Africa was classified into one of several different race groups, of which White was one. The Office for Race Classification defined a white person as one who "in appearance obviously is, or who is generally accepted as a white person, but does not include a person who, although in appearance obviously a white person, is generally accepted as a coloured person." As a consequence of Apartheid policies, Whites are still widely regarded as being one of 4 defined race groups in South Africa.
Since the 1990s, there has been a significant emigration of whites from South Africa. In recent decades, there has been a steady proportional decline in South Africa's white community, due to higher birthrates among other South African ethnic groups, as well as a high rate of emigration. In 1977, there were 4.3 million whites, constituting 16.4% of the population at the time.
Like many other communities strongly affiliated with the West and Europe's colonial legacy in Africa, white South Africans were in the past often economically better off than their black African neighbours and have surrendered political dominance to majority rule. There were also some white Africans in South Africa who lived in poverty-especially during the 1930s and increasingly since the end of minority rule.
The new phenomenon of white poverty is mostly blamed on the government's affirmative action employment legislation, which reserves 80% of new jobs for black people and favours companies owned by black people (see Black Economic Empowerment). A further concern has been crime.
Some white South Africans living in affluent white suburbs, such as Sandton, have been affected by the 2008 13.5% rise in house robberies and associated crime. In a study, Johan Burger, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said that criminals were specifically targeting wealthier suburbs. Burger explained that several affluent suburbs are surrounded by poorer residential areas and that inhabitants in the latter often target inhabitants in the former.
The 2008 financial crisis slowed the high rates of white people emigrating overseas and has led to increasing numbers of white emigrants returning to live in South Africa. Charles Luyckx, CEO of Elliot International and a board member of the Professional Movers Association, stated in December 2008 that emigration numbers had dropped by 10% in the six months prior. Furthermore, immigration from Europe has also supplemented the white population.
At the end of apartheid in 1994, 85% of South Africa's arable land was owned by whites. The land reform program introduced after the end of apartheid intended that, within 20 years, 30% of white-owned commercial farm land should be transferred to black owners. Thus, in 2011, the farmers' association, Agri South Africa, coordinated efforts to resettle farmers throughout the African continent.
The Statistics South Africa Census 2011 showed that there were about 4,586,838 white people in South Africa, amounting to 8.9% of the country's population. This was a 6.8% increase since the 2001 census. Approximately 87% of white South Africans are Christian, 9% are irreligious, and 1% are Jewish. The largest Christian denomination is the Dutch Reformed Church (NGK), with 23% of the white population being members.
Meanwhile, many white South Africans have also emigrated to Western countries over the past two decades, mainly to English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Languages
While all the languages are formally equal, some languages are spoken more than others. The country also recognises several unofficial languages, including Sekholokoe, Fanagalo, Khwe, Lobedu, Nama, Northern Ndebele, Phuthi and San. These unofficial languages may be used in certain official uses in limited areas where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent.
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. 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. The primary sign language of deaf South Africans is South African Sign Language. Among whites, Afrikaans was the first language for 59.1% of the population, compared to 35.0% for English.
Religion
According to the 2022 national census, Christians accounted for 85.3% of the population. Muslims are largely found among the Coloured and Indian ethnic groups. 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.
90.1% of white residents are Christian, 4.9% have no religion, 0.3% are Muslim, 0.7% are Jewish, and 0.1% are Hindu.
Demographic Trends
From mid-2011 to mid-2021 net international migration into the country was 2.7 million.
Charting South Africans’ life expectancy is to track the country’s modern history. In 1960, a time of terrible apartheid abuse, an average newborn child was expected to have a lifespan of only 52 years - 50 years for boys. In between, life expectancy has risen and fallen. The most severe drop was during the crisis of the HIV and Aids epidemic from 1995 to 2005.
The 2024 estimate of average life expectancy at birth in South Africa is 66.5 years - 69.2 years for females and 63.6 years for males. The crude birth rate is 19.6 babies born for every 1,000 people. The total fertility rate is an average of 2.4 babies born to a woman over her lifetime. Infant mortality (babies who die in their first year of birth) is 22.9 deaths for every 1,000 live births.
Some 8 million people are HIV positive, making up 12.7% of South Africa’s total population of 63 million. The total HIV prevalence rate was lower in 2002, at 8.9% of the population.
Poorer provinces tend to have a larger share of children and wealthier provinces a smaller share. In the Limpopo 33.1% of the population is aged 0 to 14 and in the Eastern Cape it’s 31.7%. For the country as a whole, the second largest age group is from 30 to 44 (24.8%), closely followed by 15 to 29 (24.2%).
While black South Africans are in the majority in every age group, this majority decreases as the age of the population rises.
There’s a lot of talk of South Africa’s population being dominated by the youth. The end of apartheid, better healthcare, widespread social welfare and greater economic opportunities all mean South Africans are now able to live longer lives - reducing the proportion of children and youth in our total population.
From 1960 to the late 1980s, apartheid laws kept families and communities in poor rural areas. After the end of apartheid, from the mid-1990s, urbanisation increased rapidly.
