Annual number of births by world region in South Africa
South Africa: Annual number of births by world region was 1.19 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.19 million
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
24th
of 236 countries
All-time high
1.24 million
in 2008
All-time low
534,108
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Annual number of births by world region in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual number of births by world region in South Africa is 1.19 million, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual number of births by world region in South Africa peaked at 1.24 million in 2008 and was at its lowest, 534,108, in 1950.
South Africa ranks 24th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Annual number of births by world region in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 534,108 | — |
| 1951 | 546,874 | +2.4% |
| 1952 | 559,047 | +2.2% |
| 1953 | 570,665 | +2.1% |
| 1954 | 581,444 | +1.9% |
| 1955 | 593,446 | +2.1% |
| 1956 | 604,746 | +1.9% |
| 1957 | 617,087 | +2.0% |
| 1958 | 630,445 | +2.2% |
| 1959 | 640,756 | +1.6% |
| 1960 | 654,647 | +2.2% |
| 1961 | 671,921 | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 691,059 | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 712,678 | +3.1% |
| 1964 | 733,055 | +2.9% |
| 1965 | 753,872 | +2.8% |
| 1966 | 786,790 | +4.4% |
| 1967 | 811,124 | +3.1% |
| 1968 | 834,361 | +2.9% |
| 1969 | 858,270 | +2.9% |
| 1970 | 877,296 | +2.2% |
| 1971 | 900,469 | +2.6% |
| 1972 | 917,234 | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 932,746 | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 941,247 | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 950,848 | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 958,964 | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 964,558 | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 977,732 | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 1.00 million | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 1.02 million | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 1.06 million | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 1.10 million | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 1.13 million | +3.1% |
| 1984 | 1.17 million | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 1.20 million | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 1.22 million | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 1.24 million | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 1.23 million | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 1.21 million | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 1.17 million | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 1.17 million | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.15 million | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 1.15 million | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 1.08 million | -6.1% |
| 1995 | 1.14 million | +5.5% |
| 1996 | 1.12 million | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 1.09 million | -2.7% |
| 1998 | 1.07 million | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 1.06 million | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 1.02 million | -4.1% |
| 2001 | 1.01 million | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 1.00 million | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 1.04 million | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 1.08 million | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 1.12 million | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 1.16 million | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 1.17 million | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 1.24 million | +6.6% |
| 2009 | 1.18 million | -5.2% |
| 2010 | 1.16 million | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 1.17 million | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 1.19 million | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 1.20 million | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 1.21 million | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 1.19 million | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 1.16 million | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 1.15 million | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 1.16 million | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 1.17 million | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 1.18 million | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 1.19 million | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 1.19 million | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.19 million | -0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.19 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 82,342, 14.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.19 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 482,828, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 587,862 | 534,108 | 640,756 | 10 |
| 1960s | 750,778 | 654,647 | 858,270 | 10 |
| 1970s | 942,163 | 877,296 | 1.00 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.16 million | 1.02 million | 1.24 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.12 million | 1.06 million | 1.17 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.10 million | 1.00 million | 1.24 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.18 million | 1.15 million | 1.21 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.19 million | 1.18 million | 1.19 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More population data for South Africa
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.7997 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1847 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 73,530 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8824 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.0148 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.23 (2100)
- Population density 77.75 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 5.55 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual number of births by world region in South Africa?
- Annual number of births by world region in South Africa was 1.19 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual number of births by world region recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.24 million in 2008.
- What is the lowest annual number of births by world region recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 534,108 in 1950.
- How does South Africa rank for annual number of births by world region?
- South Africa ranks 24th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual number of births by world region rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual number of births by world region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).