![South African Census](https://s43365.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Winter-South-Africa-Table-Mountain-900x568.jpeg)
Census: Here’s how many people are in the country
According to Census, South Africa’s population grew by more than 10 million to just over 62 million over the past decade.
![South African Census](https://s43365.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Winter-South-Africa-Table-Mountain.jpeg)
South Africa’s population grew by more than 10 million to 62 million over the past decade, the country’s statistics agency said on Tuesday as it unveiled the results of a new census.
ALSO READ | Can you apply ONLINE for a South African Smart ID?
StatsSA said this marked a 19.8 percent increase from 51.8 million in 2011 when the last census was conducted.
ALSO READ: Census 2022: The most spoken language in South Africa
“This is the fourth census undertaken since the advent of democracy in 1994, and, as such, it contributes to a vast body of knowledge that describes the state and the progress of our nation,” President Cyril Ramaphosa told a press conference in Pretoria.
MUST READ | Think SMART: South Africa’s best TAX-FREE savings accounts
The census carried out in 2022 found that more than 81 percent of South Africans were Black Africans, 8.1 percent identified as “coloured” or mixed-race, 7.3 percent were white and 2.7 percent of Indian or Asian descent.
StatsSA head Risenga Maluleke said the figure for the white population was “of interest”, with its share of the total having dropped from nine percent in 2011.
ALSO READ | What’s the CHEAPEST online license disc renewal service?
Gauteng, the province home to the country’s economic capital Johannesburg, was the most populous region with more than 15 million people, the census found.
Gauteng and the Western Cape have also received the largest influx of new residents.
MUST READ | ADJUSTED fines for AARTO infringements
Almost all households now had access to electricity and more than eight in 10 to running water, StatsSA said.
DIARISE | REMINDER: Two weeks left to SUBMIT your tax return in 2023
Province | 1994 | 2001 | 2011 | 2022 |
Gauteng | 7 834 620 | 9 390 528 | 12 272 263 | 15 098 907 |
KwaZulu-Natal | 8 572 302 | 9 584 129 | 10 267 300 | 12 423 907 |
Western Cape | 3 956 875 | 4 524 335 | 5 822 734 | 7 430 487 |
Eastern Cape | 6 147 244 | 6 278 651 | 6 562 053 | 7 230 204 |
Limpopo | 4 576 133 | 4 995 462 | 5 404 868 | 6 572 666 |
Mpumalanga | 3 124 203 | 3 365 957 | 4 039 939 | 5 143 040 |
North West | 2 726 828 | 2 982 064 | 3 509 953 | 3 804 779 |
Free State | 2 633 504 | 2 706 775 | 2 745 590 | 2 964 412 |
Northern Cape | 1 011 864 | 991 876 | 1 145 861 | 1 355 945 |
TOTAL | 40 583 573 | 44 819 777 | 51 770 561 | 62 024 347 |