South Africa population (live estimate)
Real-time estimate based on UN demographic growth models.
Annual growth: 1.115%.
View population details →Official population estimates
Key demographic indicators.
This map shows first-level administrative regions (ADM1).
Key Facts
- Capital: Bloemfontein
- Official language: English
- Region: Southern Africa
- Continent: Africa
Languages
A brief overview of the linguistic situation in the country.
South Africa has 11 official languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, Setswana, Sesotho, Sepedi, Xitsonga, Tshivenda, and others. Zulu and Xhosa are the most widely spoken as home languages, while English dominates higher education, business, and national media.
View all languages →Religions
A brief overview of the religious composition of the country.
The population is highly urbanized, with major hubs in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. Linguistic distribution reflects historical migration and apartheid-era settlement patterns. Multilingualism is widespread.
View religions →Cities
A brief overview of the major cities and urban structure of the country.
The cities shown here represent major urban centres with populations over 50,000, as defined by the UN Degree of Urbanisation (DEGURBA) methodology. Smaller towns and rural settlements are not included.
View cities →