Population aged 14 years or younger in South Africa
South Africa: Population aged 14 years or younger was 16,612 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Population aged 14 years or younger in South Africa, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population aged 14 years or younger in South Africa is 16,612 thousands, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 14 years or younger in South Africa peaked at 17,054 thousands in 1997 and was at its lowest, 9,273 thousands, in 1970.
That places South Africa 26th out of 226 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10,496 thousands | 9,273 thousands | 11,684 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 13,399 thousands | 11,945 thousands | 14,938 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 16,302 thousands | 15,245 thousands | 17,054 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 15,695 thousands | 15,260 thousands | 16,596 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 15,866 thousands | 15,382 thousands | 16,341 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,446 thousands | 16,349 thousands | 16,612 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More population data for South Africa
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.23 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 5.55 million (2100)
- Population density 77.75 (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.23 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.0148 % change on previous year (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 2.21 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 71,171 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 2.21 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 2.21 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception, annual growth rate -0.4964 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population aged 14 years or younger in South Africa?
- Population aged 14 years or younger in South Africa was 16,612 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 14 years or younger recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 17,054 thousands in 1997.
- What is the lowest population aged 14 years or younger recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 9,273 thousands in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for population aged 14 years or younger?
- South Africa ranks 26th out of 226 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 14 years or younger rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population aged 14 years or younger (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release