Population, total in South Africa
South Africa: Population, total was 64.75 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population, total in South Africa, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for population, total in South Africa is 64.75 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in South Africa peaked at 64.75 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 16.44 million, in 1960.
South Africa ranks 24th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.89 million | 16.44 million | 21.61 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 25.38 million | 22.28 million | 28.63 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 34.50 million | 29.52 million | 39.63 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 44.05 million | 40.75 million | 46.73 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.31 million | 47.16 million | 51.73 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.92 million | 52.34 million | 59.59 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.74 million | 60.56 million | 64.75 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More climate change data for South Africa
- Population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Urban population growth 1.3% (2025)
- Urban population 41.32 million (2025)
- Urban population 63.8% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 36.1% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 21.11 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 47.1% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 9.6% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 12.9% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 15.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in South Africa?
- Population, total in South Africa was 64.75 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 64.75 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.44 million in 1960.
- How does South Africa rank for population, total?
- South Africa ranks 24th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.