Total population in South Africa
South Africa: Total population was 64,386 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Total population in South Africa, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 64,386 thousands for total population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in South Africa peaked at 64,386 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 21,947 thousands, in 1970.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 25,029 thousands | 21,947 thousands | 28,248 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 33,938 thousands | 29,021 thousands | 39,058 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 43,708 thousands | 40,199 thousands | 46,496 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 49,057 thousands | 46,965 thousands | 51,431 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 55,519 thousands | 52,026 thousands | 59,096 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 62,316 thousands | 60,080 thousands | 64,386 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)
- 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 total population in South Africa?
- Total population in South Africa was 64,386 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 64,386 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 21,947 thousands in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for total population?
- South Africa ranks 1st out of 3 groups with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.8%. 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 Total population (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