Since the election of 27 April 1994, South Africa has been divided into nine provinces. They vary widely in population, from the mostly-urban Gauteng, which contains over 20% of the national population, to the mostly-desert Northern Cape, which contains less than 3%. The following table shows the provincial populations according to the 2011 National Census,[1] the 2016 Community Survey,[2] and the most recent 2022 Census.[3]
List
edit| Rank | Province | Census 2011 | 2016 community survey | Census 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | Percentage | Population | Percentage | Population | Percentage | ||
| 1 | Gauteng | 12,272,263 | 23.7 | 13,399,724 | 24.1 | 15,099,422 | 24.3 |
| 2 | KwaZulu-Natal | 10,267,300 | 19.8 | 11,065,240 | 19.9 | 12,423,907 | 20.0 |
| 3 | Western Cape | 5,822,734 | 11.2 | 6,279,730 | 11.3 | 7,433,019 | 12.0 |
| 4 | Eastern Cape | 6,562,053 | 12.7 | 6,996,976 | 12.6 | 7,230,204 | 11.6 |
| 5 | Limpopo | 5,404,868 | 10.4 | 5,799,090 | 10.4 | 6,572,720 | 10.6 |
| 6 | Mpumalanga | 4,039,939 | 7.8 | 4,335,964 | 7.8 | 5,143,324 | 8.3 |
| 7 | North West | 3,509,953 | 6.8 | 3,748,435 | 6.7 | 3,804,548 | 6.1 |
| 8 | Free State | 2,745,590 | 5.3 | 2,834,714 | 5.1 | 2,964,412 | 4.8 |
| 9 | Northern Cape | 1,145,861 | 2.2 | 1,193,780 | 2.1 | 1,355,946 | 2.2 |
| South Africa | 51,770,561 | 100.0 | 55,653,654 | 100.0 | 62,027,503 | 100.0 | |
Historical data
editSince the creation of the current provinces in 1994 there have been three censuses, in 1996, 2001 and 2011.
| Province | Census 1996[4] | Percentage | Census 2001[4] | Percentage | Census 2011 | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | 7,348,423 | 18.1 | 8,837,178 | 19.7 | 12,272,263 | 23.7 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 8,417,021 | 20.7 | 9,426,017 | 21.0 | 10,267,300 | 19.8 |
| Eastern Cape | 6,302,525 | 15.5 | 6,436,763 | 14.4 | 6,562,053 | 12.7 |
| Western Cape | 3,956,875 | 9.7 | 4,524,335 | 10.1 | 5,822,734 | 11.2 |
| Limpopo | 4,929,368 | 12.1 | 5,273,642 | 11.8 | 5,404,868 | 10.4 |
| Mpumalanga | 2,800,711 | 6.9 | 3,122,990 | 7.0 | 4,039,939 | 7.8 |
| North West | 3,354,825 | 8.3 | 3,669,349 | 8.2 | 3,509,953 | 6.8 |
| Free State | 2,633,504 | 6.5 | 2,706,775 | 6.0 | 2,745,590 | 5.3 |
| Northern Cape | 840,321 | 2.1 | 822,727 | 1.8 | 1,145,861 | 2.2 |
| South Africa | 40,583,573 | 100.0 | 44,819,776 | 100.0 | 51,770,561 | 100.0 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Census 2011: Census in brief (PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2012. p. 18. ISBN 9780621413885. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2015.
- ^ Community Survey 2016 in Brief (PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2016. ISBN 9780621449785.
- ^ "Statistics South Africa | Census Dissemination". census.statssa.gov.za. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ a b Census 2001: Census in brief (PDF). Statistics South Africa. 2003. p. 6. ISBN 0-621-34293-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2005. Retrieved 15 January 2011.