Population in South Africa
South Africa: Population was 64.01 million in 2024. β² Rising
Population in South Africa, 1960β2024
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
In 2024, population in South Africa stood at 64.01 million. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in South Africa peaked at 64.01 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 16.44 million, in 1960.
South Africa ranks 24th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.89 million | 16.44 million | 21.61 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 25.38 million | 22.28 million | 28.63 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 34.50 million | 29.52 million | 39.63 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 44.05 million | 40.75 million | 46.73 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.31 million | 47.16 million | 51.73 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.92 million | 52.34 million | 59.59 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.33 million | 60.56 million | 64.01 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More gender data for South Africa
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 570,099 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 589,533 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 570,599 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 589,626 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 569,634 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 588,323 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 594,743 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 603,304 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, female, interpolated 607,639 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, male, interpolated 607,041 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in South Africa?
- Population in South Africa was 64.01 million in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest population recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 64.01 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest population recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.44 million in 1960.
- How does South Africa rank for population?
- South Africa ranks 24th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 65 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
Data on Gender-disaggregated on selected population characteristics.