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Population · Sub-Saharan Africa · Upper-middle income
South Africa: population and demography
Population is 64.7m (2025), 24th of 217 in the world and 5th of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Population growth is 1.15% (2025), 93rd of 217 in the world and 43rd of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Urban share is 63.8% (2025), 111th of 217 in the world and 9th of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Population
South Africa
Population growth
South AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaUpper-middle incomeWorld
12 indicators
Population: South Africa in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PopulationPopulation | 64.7m2025 | 24/217 | 5/48 | 47.2m | 52.3m | 60.6m | +14%since 2015 | 1.3bn | 3.1bn | 8.2bn | |
| Population growthPopulation growth, annual % | 1.15%2025 | 93/217 | 43/48 | 0.91% | 1.18% | 1.62% | −0.9 ppsince 2015 | 2.43% | 0.34% | 0.91% | |
| Urban shareUrban population, % of total | 63.8%2025 | 111/217 | 9/48 | 56.3% | 62.6% | 63.4% | +0.6 ppsince 2015 | 44.7% | 68.2% | 57.8% | |
| DensityPopulation density, people per km² | 52.82024 | 151/216 | 30/48 | 38.9 | 43.1 | 49.9 | +15%since 2014 | 52.7 | 68.8 | 62.1 | |
| FertilityFertility rate, births per woman | 2.212024 | 94/217 | 45/48 | 2.41 | 2.44 | 2.26 | −9.0%since 2014 | 4.26 | 1.52 | 2.19 | |
| Birth rateBirth rate, per 1,000 people | 18.52024 | 83/217 | 45/48 | 21.6 | 22.2 | 19.5 | −15%since 2014 | 32.8 | 10.8 | 16.3 | |
| Death rateDeath rate, per 1,000 people | 9.22024 | 57/217 | 8/48 | 10.4 | 11.3 | 9.7 | −4.3%since 2014 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 7.6 | |
| Aged 0–14Population aged 0–14, % of total | 25.7%2025 | 91/217 | 45/48 | 34.9% | 29.4% | 27.0% | −2.6 ppsince 2015 | 40.4% | 19.6% | 24.4% | |
| Aged 65+Population aged 65+, % of total | 6.9%2025 | 126/217 | 4/48 | 4.7% | 5.2% | 6.1% | +1.5 ppsince 2015 | 3.2% | 11.9% | 10.4% | |
| Dependency ratioAge dependency ratio, % of working-age population | 48.4%2025 | 162/217 | 45/48 | 65.7% | 53.0% | 49.5% | −2.4 ppsince 2015 | 78.1% | 46.0% | 54.5% | |
| Net migrationNet migration, people | 146,3702025 | 9/217 | 2/48 | -136,794 | 68,563 | 369,901 | −77%since 2015 | -223,909 | 576,949 | 0 | |
| Adolescent birthsAdolescent fertility, births per 1,000 women aged 15–19 | 51.82024 | 68/217 | 45/48 | 67.4 | 53.6 | 51.6 | −26%since 2014 | 91.9 | 23.6 | 38.3 |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Adolescent births−26%51.8 in 2024
Worse than ten years ago
No rated indicator got worse over the decade.
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
South Africa and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with South Africa. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | South Africa | Mozambique | Zimbabwe | Namibia | Botswana | Lesotho |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 64.7m2025 | 35.6m2025 | 17.0m2025 | 3.1m2025 | 2.6m2025 | 2.4m2025 |
| Population growth | 1.15%2025 | 2.85%2025 | 1.88%2025 | 2.05%2025 | 1.61%2025 | 1.10%2025 |
| Urban share | 63.8%2025 | 37.2%2025 | 40.5%2025 | 50.9%2025 | 68.0%2025 | 44.7%2025 |
| Density | 52.82024 | 44.02024 | 43.02024 | 3.72024 | 4.42024 | 77.02024 |
| Fertility | 2.212024 | 4.692024 | 3.672024 | 3.212024 | 2.702024 | 2.662024 |
| Birth rate | 18.52024 | 37.02024 | 29.92024 | 25.92024 | 24.42024 | 23.82024 |
| Death rate | 9.22024 | 6.92024 | 7.52024 | 6.22024 | 5.72024 | 10.52024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 25.7%2025 | 44.2%2025 | 40.3%2025 | 36.7%2025 | 32.0%2025 | 34.1%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 6.9%2025 | 2.7%2025 | 3.6%2025 | 3.8%2025 | 4.1%2025 | 3.9%2025 |