Population aged 65 years or older in South Africa
South Africa: Population aged 65 years or older was 4,371 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Population aged 65 years or older in South Africa, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population aged 65 years or older in South Africa is 4,371 thousands, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.2% on the previous year and up 45.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 65 years or older in South Africa peaked at 4,371 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 781.6 thousands, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 30th of 226 countries on this measure, 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 | 922.61 thousands | 781.6 thousands | 1,067 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,330 thousands | 1,101 thousands | 1,557 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,832 thousands | 1,594 thousands | 2,156 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,460 thousands | 2,211 thousands | 2,699 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,011 thousands | 2,730 thousands | 3,461 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,984 thousands | 3,625 thousands | 4,371 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)
- Natural population growth 0.9536 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population aged 65 years or older in South Africa?
- Population aged 65 years or older in South Africa was 4,371 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 65 years or older recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4,371 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest population aged 65 years or older recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 781.6 thousands in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for population aged 65 years or older?
- South Africa ranks 30th out of 226 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 65 years or older rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 45.7%. 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 65 years or older (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