Population growth rate in South Africa
South Africa: Population growth rate was 1.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Population growth rate in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.3% for population growth rate in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 18.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rate in South Africa peaked at 3.5% in 1983 and was at its lowest, -0.4%, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 92nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.8% | 2.7% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.3% | 2.9% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | 1.0% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | -0.4% | 2.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More population data for South Africa
- Literate and illiterate world population 8.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth rate in South Africa?
- Population growth rate in South Africa was 1.3% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rate recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 1983.
- What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.4% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for population growth rate?
- South Africa ranks 92nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rate rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.