Since the 1994 South African general election, South Africa has been divided into nine provinces.
Current data
The provinces vary widely in population density, from the highly urbanized Gauteng with over 870 people per square kilometre, to the mostly-desert Northern Cape with less than four people per square kilometre.
The table below shows the provincial population density based on the 2024 Mid-Year estimates by Statistics South Africa.
Province | 2024 Mid-Year Estimates | Area (km²) | Density (km²) |
---|---|---|---|
Gauteng | 15,931,824 | 18,178 | 876 |
KwaZulu-Natal | 12,312,712 | 94,361 | 130 |
Mpumalanga | 5,057,662 | 76,495 | 66.1 |
Western Cape | 7,562,588 | 129,462 | 58.4 |
Limpopo | 6,402,594 | 125,755 | 50.9 |
Eastern Cape | 7,176,230 | 168,966 | 42.5 |
North West | 4,155,303 | 104,882 | 39.6 |
Free State | 3,044,050 | 129,825 | 23.4 |
Northern Cape | 1,372,943 | 372,889 | 3.68 |
South Africa | 63,015,906 | 1,220,813 | 51.6 |
Historical data
Since the creation of the current provinces in 1994 there have been four censuses, in 1996, 2001, 2011, and 2022.
The table below shows the provincial population density after the 1996, 2001, and 2011 census exercises.
Province | Census 1996 | Census 2001 | Census 2011 | Census 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gauteng | 432.0 | 519.5 | 675.1 | 831 |
KwaZulu-Natal | 91.4 | 102.3 | 108.8 | 132 |
Mpumalanga | 35.2 | 39.3 | 52.8 | 67.2 |
Western Cape | 30.6 | 35.0 | 45.0 | 57.4 |
Limpopo | 39.8 | 42.6 | 43.0 | 52.3 |
Eastern Cape | 37.2 | 38.0 | 38.8 | 42.8 |
North West | 28.8 | 31.5 | 33.5 | 36.3 |
Free State | 20.3 | 20.9 | 21.1 | 22.8 |
Northern Cape | 2.3 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.64 |
South Africa | 33.3 | 36.8 | 42.4 | 50.8 |