Population younger than 15 with projections in South Africa

South Africa: Population younger than 15 with projections was 16.49 million in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
16.49 million
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
24th
of 229 countries
All-time high
17.01 million
in 1997
All-time low
5.23 million
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Population younger than 15 with projections in South Africa, 1950–2023

5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M15.0M17.5M195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 16.49 million for population younger than 15 with projections in 2023.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population younger than 15 with projections in South Africa peaked at 17.01 million in 1997 and was at its lowest, 5.23 million, in 1950.

South Africa ranks 24th of 229 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 5.95 million 5.23 million 6.73 million 10
1960s 7.96 million 6.92 million 9.13 million 10
1970s 10.63 million 9.41 million 11.81 million 10
1980s 13.56 million 12.08 million 15.09 million 10
1990s 16.37 million 15.37 million 17.01 million 10
2000s 15.63 million 15.27 million 16.46 million 10
2010s 15.91 million 15.39 million 16.34 million 10
2020s 16.41 million 16.35 million 16.49 million 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 21 Türkiye, Republic of 19.06 million compare
  2. 22 Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of 17.92 million compare
  3. 23 Iraq 16.72 million compare
  4. 25 Angola 16.38 million compare
  5. 26 Yemen, Republic of 16.24 million compare
  6. 27 Mozambique, Republic of 15.05 million compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is population younger than 15 with projections in South Africa?
Population younger than 15 with projections in South Africa was 16.49 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest population younger than 15 with projections recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 17.01 million in 1997.
What is the lowest population younger than 15 with projections recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 5.23 million in 1950.
How does South Africa rank for population younger than 15 with projections?
South Africa ranks 24th out of 229 countries with data for 2023.
Is population younger than 15 with projections rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. 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 younger than 15 with projections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population younger than 15 with projections in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/population-younger-than-15-with-projections/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Population younger than 15 with projections
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed