Statizoid

Population in South Africa

South Africa: Population was 63.21 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
63.21 million people
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
24th
of 238 countries
All-time high
63.21 million people
in 2023
All-time low
258,000 people
in 1000
Years of data
241
1000–2023

Population in South Africa, 1000–2023

020.0M40.0M60.0M100015112023

Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for population in South Africa is 63.21 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 241 years on record.

The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population in South Africa peaked at 63.21 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 258,000 people, in 1000.

That places South Africa 24th out of 238 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 258,000 people 258,000 people 258,000 people 1
1100s 309,600 people 309,600 people 309,600 people 1
1200s 361,200 people 361,200 people 361,200 people 1
1300s 412,800 people 412,800 people 412,800 people 1
1400s 464,400 people 464,400 people 464,400 people 1
1500s 516,000 people 516,000 people 516,000 people 1
1600s 602,000 people 602,000 people 602,000 people 1
1700s 860,000 people 860,000 people 860,000 people 1
1710s 843,752 people 843,752 people 843,752 people 1
1720s 827,505 people 827,505 people 827,505 people 1
1730s 811,258 people 811,258 people 811,258 people 1
1740s 795,011 people 795,011 people 795,011 people 1
1750s 778,764 people 778,764 people 778,764 people 1
1760s 762,517 people 762,517 people 762,517 people 1
1770s 746,270 people 746,270 people 746,270 people 1
1780s 730,023 people 730,023 people 730,023 people 1
1790s 713,776 people 713,776 people 713,776 people 1
1800s 1.47 million people 1.45 million people 1.50 million people 10
1810s 1.54 million people 1.50 million people 1.57 million people 10
1820s 1.72 million people 1.58 million people 1.89 million people 10
1830s 2.14 million people 1.93 million people 2.36 million people 10
1840s 2.67 million people 2.41 million people 2.94 million people 10
1850s 3.16 million people 2.99 million people 3.31 million people 10
1860s 3.52 million people 3.35 million people 3.69 million people 10
1870s 3.91 million people 3.73 million people 4.11 million people 10
1880s 4.36 million people 4.15 million people 4.57 million people 10
1890s 4.85 million people 4.62 million people 5.10 million people 10
1900s 5.56 million people 5.16 million people 5.99 million people 10
1910s 6.56 million people 6.09 million people 7.04 million people 10
1920s 7.86 million people 7.17 million people 8.62 million people 10
1930s 9.64 million people 8.79 million people 10.53 million people 10
1940s 11.72 million people 10.74 million people 12.76 million people 10
1950s 14.43 million people 13.04 million people 16.02 million people 10
1960s 18.89 million people 16.44 million people 21.61 million people 10
1970s 25.38 million people 22.28 million people 28.63 million people 10
1980s 34.50 million people 29.52 million people 39.63 million people 10
1990s 44.05 million people 40.75 million people 46.73 million people 10
2000s 49.31 million people 47.16 million people 51.73 million people 10
2010s 55.92 million people 52.34 million people 59.59 million people 10
2020s 61.91 million people 60.56 million people 63.21 million people 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 21 United Kingdom 68.68 million people compare
  2. 22 Tanzania 66.62 million people compare
  3. 23 France 66.44 million people compare
  4. 25 Italy 59.50 million people compare
  5. 26 Kenya 55.34 million people compare
  6. 27 Myanmar 54.13 million people compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More population data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is population in South Africa?
Population in South Africa was 63.21 million people in 2023, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 63.21 million people in 2023.
What is the lowest population recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 258,000 people in 1000.
How does South Africa rank for population?
South Africa ranks 24th out of 238 countries with data for 2023.
Is population rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 241 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Population
Unit
people
Source
HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 51,002 data points, 1000–2023
Last refreshed

Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.