Population by income level in South Africa
South Africa: Population by income level was 64.75 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population by income level in South Africa, 1960–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 64.75 million for population by income level in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by income level in South Africa peaked at 64.75 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 16.44 million, in 1960.
That places South Africa 24th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 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 | 62.74 million | 60.56 million | 64.75 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More population data for South Africa
- Population growth rate 0.23 (2100)
- Population density 77.75 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 5.55 million (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.23 (2100)
- Fertility vs contraception 2.21 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 2.21 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 71,171 (2024)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 2.21 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs share that are religious 2.22 (2023)
- Effective fertility rate children per woman who are expected to surviv 2.07 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population by income level in South Africa?
- Population by income level in South Africa was 64.75 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by income level recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 64.75 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population by income level recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.44 million in 1960.
- How does South Africa rank for population by income level?
- South Africa ranks 24th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by income level rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.1%. 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 Population by income level. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).