Population growth rates in South Africa
South Africa: Population growth rates was 1.31 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.31
Change on year
down 2.0%
Rank
92nd
of 236 groups
All-time high
3.5
in 1983
All-time low
-0.415
in 2016
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Population growth rates in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.31 for population growth rates in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rates in South Africa peaked at 3.5 in 1983 and was at its lowest, -0.415, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 92nd of 236 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.28 | 2.01 | 2.56 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.02 | 2.68 | 3.13 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.79 | 2.66 | 2.99 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.26 | 2.88 | 3.5 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.56 | 0.977 | 2.69 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.02 | 0.827 | 1.24 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.44 | -0.415 | 2.31 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.43 | 1.31 | 1.59 | 4 |
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)
- 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)
- Fertility rate with projections 2.22 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth rates in South Africa?
- Population growth rates in South Africa was 1.31 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rates recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5 in 1983.
- What is the lowest population growth rates recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.415 in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for population growth rates?
- South Africa ranks 92nd out of 236 groups with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rates rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Population growth rates. 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).