South Africa’s population in 2020 is 59.62 million. This is according to the latest Mid-Year Population Estimate from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) and reflects an increase of 1.89 million in two years.
Gauteng is still South Africa’s most populous province by some margin, despite being the smallest by area. It is estimated that there are about 15.5 million people living in South Africa’s economic heartland, equivalent to 26%. KwaZulu-Natal has the second-biggest population, at 11.5 million. The Northern Cape, the largest province by area, has the smallest population, at 1.29 million.
Much of Gauteng’s population is made up of migrants. Between 2016 and 2021 Stats SA estimates that over 1.5 million people will have moved to the province. The Western Cape was the second-most popular destination for migrants, with nearly 500 000 people moving to that province between 2016 and 2021.
South Africa also has a high number of young people according to the estimate. Nearly 30% of South Africans are younger than 15, with just fewer than 10% being over the age of 60.
Other findings were that life expectancy for women was 68.5 and for men slightly lower, at 62.5. Stats SA also estimated that about 13% of South Africans are HIV-positive.
South Africa is the 24th most populous country in the world and has the fifth-highest population in Africa.