Demographics of South Africa

Demographics of South Africa
Population of South Africa, 1961–2008
Population	55,908,900 (July 2016 est.)[1]
Density	45.78/km2
Growth rate	1.34%[2]
Birth rate	19.61 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
Death rate	16.99 deaths/1,000 population (2010 est.)
Life expectancy	61 years (2012 est.)
• male	59 years (2012 est.)
• female	63 years (2012 est.)
Fertility rate	2.4 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Infant mortality rate	43.78 deaths/1,000
Age structure
0–14 years	28.9% (male 7,093,328/female 7,061,579)
15–64 years	65.8% (male 16,275,424/female 15,984,181)
65 and over	5.4% (male 1,075,117/female 1,562,860) (2010 est.)
Sex ratio
Total	0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
At birth	1.02 male(s)/female
Under 15	1 male(s)/female
15–64 years	1.02 male(s)/female
65 and over	0.68 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	South African
Language
Official	See Languages of South Africa

The demographics of South Africa encompasses about 56^[1] million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions. The last census was held in 2011 and the next will be taken anywhere from 2016–2021.

In 2011, Statistics South Africa counted 2.1 million foreigners in total.^[3] However, numerous reports suggest that that is a vast underestimation. The real figure may in fact be as high as five million,^[4] including some three million Zimbabweans.^[5]

Population

Historical population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1	100,000	—
1000	300,000	+0.11%
1500	600,000	+0.14%
1600	700,000	+0.15%
1700	1,000,000	+0.36%
1820	1,550,000	+0.37%
1870	2,547,000	+1.00%
1904	5,175,463	+2.11%
1911	5,972,757	+2.07%
1913	6,153,000	+1.50%
1921	6,927,403	+1.49%
1936	9,587,863	+2.19%
1946	11,415,925	+1.76%
1950	13,683,162	+4.63%
1955	15,384,557	+2.37%
1960	17,396,367	+2.49%
1970	22,502,502	+2.61%
1980	29,077,143	+2.60%
1990	36,793,490	+2.38%
1995	41,426,810	+2.40%
2001	44,819,777	+1.32%
2007	48,502,063	+1.32%
2011	51,770,560	+1.64%
2015	54,960,000	+1.51%
Note: Population estimates (1 BCE - 1870 BCE) are deduced from quantitative macroeconomic historical calculations. 1 (est.), 1000 (est.), 1500 (est.), 1600 (est.), 1700 (est.), 1820 (est.), 1870 (est.), 1913,[6] 1904[7] 1904-1946,[8][9][10] 1950-2010,[11] 2001, 2011, 2015[12]

U.N. population projections: 2010 to 2050

Population projections
Year	Pop.	±%
2015	54,957,000	—
2020	57,296,000	+4.3%
2025	59,702,000	+4.2%
2030	61,836,000	+3.6%
2035	63,670,000	+3.0%
2040	65,413,000	+2.7%
2045	67,075,000	+2.5%
2050	68,642,000	+2.3%
Source: United Nations Secretariat[13]

Age and population estimates: 1950 to 2010

According to the 2010 revision of the United Nations Secretariat's World Population Prospects, South Africa's total population was 50,133,000 in 2010, compared to only 13,683,000 in 1950. In 2010, 30.1% of the people were children under the age of 15, 65.2% were between 15 and 64 years of age, and 4.6% were 65 or older.^[14] All population estimates are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Year	Total population	Percentage under 15 years old	Percentage 15 to 64 years old	Percentage at least 65 years old
1950	13,683,000	38.6	57.8	3.6
1955	15,385,000	39.9	56.4	3.8
1960	17,396,000	40.9	55.2	3.9
1965	19,814,000	41.9	54.2	3.9
1970	22,502,000	42.1	54.5	3.4
1975	25,699,000	41.9	54.9	3.2
1980	29,077,000	41.5	55.3	3.1
1985	32,983,000	40.5	56.4	3.1
1990	36,794,000	38.9	57.9	3.2
1995	41,402,000	36.0	60.6	3.4
2000	44,760,000	33.7	62.6	3.7
2005	47,793,000	31.7	64.2	4.1
2010	50,133,000	30.1	65.2	4.6
2015	54,490,000	29.2	63.0	7.7

Historical censuses

1904 Census

South African Population Figures for the 1904 Census. Source:^[7]

Colony	Cape Colony	Natal	Transvaal	Orange River Colony	Total	Percent
Black	1,424,787	904,041	937,127	225,101	3,491,056	67.5%
White	579,741	97,109	297,277	142,679	1,116,805	21.6%
Coloured	395,034	6,686	24,226	19,282	445,228	8.6%
Asiatic	10,242	100,918	11,321	253	122,734	2.4%
Total	2,409,804	1,108,754	1,269,951	387,315	5,175,463	100.0%
% of S. Africa	46.6%	21.4%	24.5%	7.5%	100%

1960 Census

Sources: Statesman's Year-Book 1967–1968;^[15] Europa Year Book 1969 ^[16]

Province	Cape of Good Hope	Natal	Transvaal	Orange Free State	Total	Percent
Bantu	3,011,080	2,199,920	4,633,378	1,083,886	10,928,264	68.3%
White	1,003,207	340,235	1,468,305	276,745	3,088,492	19.3%
Coloured	1,330,089	45,253	108,007	25,909	1,509,258	9.4%
Asiatic	18,477	394,854	63,787	7	477,125	3.0%
Total	5,362,853	2,980,262	6,273,477	1,386,547	16,003,139	100.0%
% of S. Africa	33.5%	18.6%	39.2%	8.7%	100.0%

Fertility Rate (The Demographic Health Survey)^[17]

Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and CBR (Crude Birth Rate):

Year	CBR (Total)	TFR (Total)	CBR (Urban)	TFR (Urban)	CBR (Rural)	TFR (Rural)
1998	21,90	2,90 (2,3)	19,2	2,25 (1,8)	25,4	3,92 (2,9)
2003	17,5	2,1 (1,6)	18,4	2,1 (1,6)	16,1	2,2 (1,6)

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events in South Africa has improved considerably during the past decade, but still not considered to be complete for black South Africans. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.^[14] (Natural increase or decrease over a time period is the difference between that period's live births and deaths, before accounting for inward or outward migration.)

United Nations estimates, 2010

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural Increase per year	Crude Birth Rate (per 1,000 per year)	Crude Death Rate (per 1,000 per year)	Natural Increase (per 1,000 per year)	Total Fertility Rate (over av'ge woman's life)	Infant Mortality Rate (per 100,000 live births)
1950–1955	629 000	295 000	+ 334 000	43.3	20.3	+ 23.0	6.50	96
1955–1960	697 000	297 000	+ 400 000	42.5	18.1	+ 24.4	6.50	91
1960–1965	774 000	310 000	+ 464 000	41.6	16.7	+ 25.0	6.30	87
1965–1970	808 000	312 000	+ 496 000	38.2	14.7	+ 23.5	5.70	84
1970–1975	909 000	317 000	+ 592 000	37.7	13.1	+ 24.6	5.47	77
1975–1980	980 000	319 000	+ 661 000	35.8	11.7	+ 24.1	5.00	71
1980–1985	1 052 000	307 000	+ 745 000	33.9	9.9	+ 24.0	4.56	61
1985–1990	1 086 000	299 000	+ 787 000	31.1	8.6	+ 22.5	4.00	53
1990–1995	1 073 000	332 000	+ 742 000	27.5	8.5	+ 19.0	3.34	51
1995–2000	1 082 000	450 000	+ 632 000	25.1	10.4	+ 14.7	2.95	56
2000–2005	1 111 000	645 000	+ 466 000	24.0	13.9	+ 10.1	2.80	59
2005–2010	1 074 000	746 000	+ 328 000	21.9	15.2	+  6.7	2.55	55
2010–2015				21.0	12.5	+  8.5	2.40	55
Total Fertility Rate = average number of children over a woman's lifetime; Infant Mortality Rate per 100,000 live births

Year	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase	Crude birth rate (per 1,000)	Crude death rate (per 1,000)	Natural increase (per 1,000)	Fertility rates (per woman)	Average population
2002	1 118 916	608 480	510 436	24,5	13,3	11,2	2,79
2003	1 127 380	643 285	484 095	24,4	13,9	10,5	2,77
2004	1 134 751	671 101	463 650	24,3	14,4	9,9	2,75
2005	1 141 351	682 059	459 292	24,1	14,4	9,7	2,73
2006	1 150 015	625 210	524 805	24,0	13,0	11,0	2,71
2007	1 162 056	564 663	597 393	23,9	11,6	12,3	2,70
2008	1 175 212	542 038	633 174	23,8	11,0	12,8	2,68
2009	1 188 662	528 342	660 320	23,7	10,5	13,2	2,66
2010	1 201 175	535 396	665 779	23,6	10,5	13,1	2,64
2011	1 211 011	556 087	654 924	23,4	10,7	12,7	2,61
2012	1 222 324	555 921	666 403	23,2	10,6	12,6	2,60
2013	1 232 668	539 880	692 788	23,1	10,1	13,0	2,58	52 982 000
2014	1 242 070	516 929	725 141	22,9	9,5	13,4	2,57
2015	1 250 782	531 965	718 817	22,7	9,6	13,1	2,55	54 956 900

Age and sex distribution

South African National Census of 2011

Age group	Male	Female percent	Female	Total	percent of S.A.
under 5	2867585	49.6%	2817867	5685452	11.0%
5–9	2425181	49.7%	2394570	4819751	9.3%
10–14	2344275	49.0%	2250611	4594886	8.9%
15–19	2498572	50.1%	2504905	5003477	9.7%
20–24	2694646	49.9%	2679896	5374542	10.4%
25–29	2542682	49.7%	2516635	5059317	9.8%
30–34	2036206	49.5%	1992804	4029010	7.8%
35–39	1709347	50.7%	1758420	3467767	6.7%
40–44	1402328	52.4%	1546291	2948619	5.7%
45–49	1195740	54.4%	1424543	2620283	5.1%
50–54	1011349	54.4%	1206940	2218289	4.3%
55–59	811950	54.8%	985458	1797408	3.5%
60–64	612364	55.8%	773404	1385768	2.7%
65–69	401548	58.1%	556256	957804	1.9%
70–74	293498	60.8%	454832	748330	1.4%
75–79	165283	65.7%	315984	481267	0.9%
80–84	100694	68.8%	222222	322916	0.6%
85-plus	75543	70.5%	180130	255673	0.5%
TOTAL	25188791	51.3%	26581769	51770560	100%

Number of children 0–14	Number of women 15–49	Proportion	Fertility Rate
15812264	13866489	1.14	2.35

Age group	Population	Male	Female	Percent
0–14	15812268	7969880	7842388	31.26
15–64	32235534	15538934	16696600	63.72
65+	2538955	1006222	1532733	5.02

Age and race distribution

South African National Census of 2011

Age distribution within each racial group

By generation

Age group	All races	% of All	Black African	% of Blacks	Coloured	% of Col'd	White	% of Whites	Indian or other Asian	% of Asians	Others	% of others
0–14	15,100,089	29.2%	12,702,324	31.0%	1,311,811	28.4%	771,187	16.8%	258,602	20.1%	56,164	20.0%
15–64	33,904,479	65.5%	26,502,329	64.6%	3,085,684	66.9%	3,165,965	68.9%	939,379	73.0%	211,126	75.3%
65-plus	2,765,992	5.3%	1,796,285	4.4%	217,906	4.7%	649,686	14.2%	88,949	6.9%	13,164	4.7%
All ages	51,770,560	100%	41,000,938	(100%)	4,615,401	(100%)	4,586,838	(100%)	1,286,930	(100%)	280,454	(100%)
% of SA	100%		79.20%		8.92%		8.86%		2.49%		0.54%

By five-year cohorts

Age group	All races	% of All	Black African	% of Blacks	Coloured	% of Col'd	White	% of Whites	Indian or Asian	% of Asians	Others	% of others
under 5	5,685,452	11.0%	4,830,442	11.8%	470,090	10.2%	268,267	5.8%	90,795	7.1%	25,857	9.2%
5 to 9	4,819,751	9.3%	4,054,019	9.9%	421,038	9.1%	245,567	5.4%	82,584	6.4%	16,543	5.9%
10 to 14	4,594,886	8.9%	3,817,863	9.3%	420,683	9.1%	257,353	5.6%	85,223	6.6%	13,764	4.9%
15 to 19	5,003,477	9.7%	4,171,450	10.2%	431,263	9.3%	284,896	6.2%	98,556	7.7%	17,312	6.2%
20 to 24	5,374,542	10.4%	4,479,848	10.9%	428,159	9.3%	313,616	6.8%	115,949	9.0%	36,970	13.2%
25 to 29	5,059,317	9.8%	4,156,759	10.1%	385,750	8.4%	336,355	7.3%	125,521	9.8%	44,932	16.0%
30 to 34	4,029,010	7.8%	3,237,677	7.9%	326,803	7.1%	318,329	6.9%	113,398	8.8%	32,802	11.7%
35 to 39	3,467,767	6.7%	2,674,154	6.5%	319,231	6.9%	342,316	7.5%	108,120	8.4%	23,945	8.5%
40 to 44	2,948,618	5.7%	2,164,738	5.3%	319,279	6.9%	351,473	7.7%	95,904	7.5%	17,225	6.1%
45 to 49	2,620,283	5.1%	1,902,133	4.6%	294,467	6.4%	325,185	7.1%	85,621	6.7%	12,877	4.6%
50 to 54	2,218,289	4.3%	1,559,926	3.8%	247,535	5.4%	324,539	7.1%	75,783	5.9%	10,506	3.7%
55 to 59	1,797,408	3.5%	1,242,201	3.0%	186,148	4.0%	295,596	6.4%	65,332	5.1%	8,132	2.9%
60 to 64	1,385,768	2.7%	913,441	2.2%	137,050	3.0%	273,657	6.0%	55,194	4.3%	6,425	2.3%
65 to 69	957,805	1.9%	601,060	1.5%	86,285	1.9%	227,308	5.0%	38,277	3.0%	4,875	1.7%
70 to 74	748,331	1.4%	485,852	1.2%	60,311	1.3%	173,434	3.8%	25,084	1.9%	3,649	1.3%
75 to 79	481,267	0.9%	310,708	0.8%	37,441	0.8%	116,922	2.5%	13,954	1.1%	2,242	0.8%
80 to 84	322,916	0.6%	218,145	0.5%	19,278	0.4%	77,073	1.7%	7,155	0.6%	1,265	0.5%
85-plus	255,673	0.5%	180,520	0.4%	14,591	0.3%	54,949	1.2%	4,479	0.3%	1,133	0.4%
All ages	51,770,560	100%	41,000,938	(100%)	4,615,401	(100%)	4,586,838	(100%)	1,286,930	(100%)	280,454	(100%)
% of SA	100%		79.20%		8.92%		8.86%		2.49%		0.54%

Age group	All races	Black African	% of age grp	Coloured	% of age grp	White	% of age grp	Indian or Asian	% of age grp	Other	% of age grp
under 5	5,685,452	4,830,442	85.0%	470,090	8.3%	268,267	4.7%	90,795	1.6%	25,857	0.5%
5 to 9	4,819,751	4,054,019	84.1%	421,038	8.7%	245,567	5.1%	82,584	1.7%	16,543	0.5%
10 to 14	4,594,886	3,817,863	83.1%	420,683	9,1%	257,353	5.6%	85,223	1.9%	13,764	0.3%
15 to 19	5,003,477	4,171,450	83.4%	431,263	8.6%	284,896	5.7%	98,556	2.0%	17,312	0.3%
20 to 24	5,374,542	4,479,848	83.4%	428,159	8.0%	313,616	5.8%	115,949	2.2%	36,970	0.7%
25 to 29	5,059,317	4,156,759	82.2%	385,750	7.6%	336,355	6.6%	125,521	2.5%	44,932	0.9%
30 to 34	4,029,010	3,237,677	80.4%	326,803	8.1%	318,329	7.9%	113,398	2.8%	32,802	0.8%
35 to 39	3,467,767	2,674,154	77.1%	319,231	9.2%	342,316	9.9%	108,120	3.1%	23,945	0.7%
40 to 44	2,948,618	2,164,738	73.4%	319,279	10.8%	351,473	11.9%	95,904	3.3%	17,225	0.6%
45 to 49	2,620,283	1,902,133	72.6%	294,467	11.2%	325,185	12.4%	85,621	3.3%	12,877	0.5%
50 to 54	2,218,289	1,559,926	70.3%	247,535	11.2%	324,539	14.6%	75,783	3.4%	10,506	0.5%
55 to 59	1,797,408	1,242,201	69.1%	186,148	10.4%	295,596	16.4%	65,332	3.6%	8,132	0.5%
60 to 64	1,385,768	913,441	65.9%	137,050	9.9%	273,657	19.7%	55,194	4.0%	6,425	0.5%
65 to 69	957,805	601,060	62.8%	86,285	9.0%	227,308	23.7%	38,277	4.0%	4,875	0.5%
70 to 74	748,331	485,852	64.9%	60,311	8.1%	173,434	23.2%	25,084	3.4%	3,649	0.5%
75 to 79	481,267	310,708	64.6%	37,441	7.8%	116,922	24.3%	13,954	2.9%	2,242	0.5%
80 to 84	322,916	218,145	67.6%	19,278	6.0%	77,073	23.9%	7,155	2.2%	1,265	0.4%
85-plus	255,673	180,520	70.6%	14,591	5.7%	54,949	21.5%	4,479	1.8%	1,133	0.4%
All ages	51,770,560	41,000,938	79.20%	4,615,401	8.92%	4,586,838	8.86%	1,286,930	2.49%	280,454	0.54%

Racial composition of each age group in 2015 (estimates)

Age group	All races	% of All	Black African	% of Blacks	Coloured	% of Col'd	White	% of Whites	Indian or other Asian	% of Asians
0–14	16,612,043	30.23%	14,244,663	32.21%	1,288,601	26.66%	789,492	17.41%	289,285	21.24%
15–64	35,465,499	64.53%	28,170,797	63.69%	3,299,771	68.28%	3,026,475	66.75%	968,649	71.12%
65-plus	2,879,378	5.24%	1,812,535	4.10%	244,544	5.06%	718,041	15.84%	104.068	7.64%
All ages	54,956,920	100%	44,227,995	(100%)	4,832,916	(100%)	4,534,008	(100%)	1,362,002	(100%)
% of SA	100%		80.48%		8.79%		8.25%		2.48%

Age group	All races	% of All	Black African	% of Blacks	Coloured	% of Col'd	White	% of Whites	Indian or Asian	% of Asians
under 5	5,936,350	10.80%	5,156,508	11.66%	426,156	8.82%	254,978	5.62%	98,708	7.25%
5 to 9	5,537,225	10.08%	4,746,115	10.73%	430,666	8.91%	263,378	5.81%	97,065	7.13%
10 to 14	5,138,468	9.35%	4,342,040	9.82%	431,779	8.93%	271,136	5.98%	93,512	6.87%
15 to 19	5,124,373	9.32%	4,292,220	9.70%	437,412	9.05%	295,733	6.52%	99,007	7.27%
20 to 24	5,302,246	9.65%	4,461,515	10.09%	426,013	8.81%	306,415	6.76%	108,304	7.95%
25 to 29	5,232,254	9.52%	4,437,570	10.03%	389,429	8.06%	287,485	6.34%	117,771	8.65%
30 to 34	4,307,693	7.84%	3,535,173	7.99%	366,955	7.59%	281,358	6.21%	124,206	9.12%
35 to 39	3,774,921	6.87%	3,001,989	6.79%	376,488	7.79%	279,439	6.16%	117,005	8.59%
40 to 44	3,204,952	5.83%	2,444,972	5.53%	368,886	7.63%	288,370	6.36%	102,725	7.54%
45 to 49	2,738,580	4.98%	2,004,009	4.53%	307,363	6.36%	335,434	7.40%	91,774	6.74%
50 to 54	2,297,586	4.18%	1,619,249	3.66%	264,593	5.47%	332,977	7.34%	80,767	5.93%
55 to 59	1,942,942	3.54%	1,334,800	3.02%	209,933	4.34%	328,999	7.26%	69,210	5.08%
60 to 64	1,539,953	2.80%	1,039,301	2.35%	152,698	3.16%	290,075	6.40%	57,879	4.25%
65 to 69	1,153,159	2.10%	737,581	1.67%	105,403	2.18%	265,818	5.86%	44,357	3.26%
70 to 74	805,114	1.46%	511,723	1.16%	65,465	1.35%	198,876	4.39%	28,949	2.13
75 to 79	502,005	0.91%	313,800	0.71%	41,978	0.87%	128,675	2.84%	17,552	1.29%
80-plus	419,100	0.76%	249,431	0.56%	31,698	0.66%	124,672	2.75%	13,210	0.97%
All ages	54,956,920	100%	44,227,995	(100%)	4,832,916	(100%)	4,534,008	(100%)	1,362,002	(100%)
% of SA	100%		80.48%		8.79%		8.25%		2.48%

Age group	All races	Black African	% of age grp	Coloured	% of age grp	White	% of age grp	Indian or Asian	% of age grp
under 5	5,936,350	5,156,508	86.86%	426,156	7.18%	254,978	4.30%	98,708	1.66%
5 to 9	5,537,225	4,746,115	85.71%	430,666	7.78%	263,378	4.76%	97,065	1.75%
10 to 14	5,138,468	4,342,040	84.50%	431,779	8.40%	271,136	5.28%	93,512	1.82%
15 to 19	5,124,373	4,292,220	83.76%	437,412	8.54%	295,733	5.77%	99,007	1.93%
20 to 24	5,302,246	4,461,515	84.14%	426,013	8.03%	306,415	5.78%	108,304	2.04%
25 to 29	5,232,254	4,437,570	84.81%	389,429	7.44%	287,485	5.49%	117,771	2.25%
30 to 34	4,307,693	3,535,173	82.07%	366,955	8.52%	281,358	6.53%	124,206	2.88%
35 to 39	3,774,921	3,001,989	79.52%	376,488	9.97%	279,439	7.40%	117,005	3.10%
40 to 44	3,204,952	2,444,972	76.29%	368,886	11.51%	288,370	9.00%	102,725	3.21%
45 to 49	2,738,580	2,004,009	73.18%	307,363	11.22%	335,434	12.25%	91,774	3.35%
50 to 54	2,297,586	1,619,249	70.48%	264,593	11.52%	332,977	14.49%	80,767	3.52%
55 to 59	1,942,942	1,334,800	68.70%	209,933	10.80%	328,999	16.93%	69,210	3.56%
60 to 64	1,539,953	1,039,301	67.49%	152,698	9.92%	290,075	18.84%	57,879	3.76%
65 to 69	1,153,159	737,581	63.96%	105,403	9.14%	265,818	23.05%	44,357	3.85%
70 to 74	805,114	511,723	63.56%	65,465	8.13%	198,876	24.70%	28,949	3.60%
75 to 79	502,005	313,800	62.51%	41,978	8.36%	128,675	25.63%	17,552	3.50%
80-plus	419,100	249,431	59.52%	31,698	7.56%	124,672	29.75%	13,210	3.15%
All ages	54,956,920	44,227,995		4,832,916		4,534,008		1,362,002
% of SA		80.48%		8.79%		8.25%		2.48%

Ethnic groups

Statistics South Africa asks people to describe themselves in the census in terms of five racial population groups.^[18] The 2011 census figures for these groups were Black African at 80.2%, White at 8.4%, Coloured at 8.8%, Indian /Asian at 2.5%, and Other/Unspecified at 0.5%.^[19]

The white population has experienced a sharp decline over time, due to Emigration and much lower fertility rates. The first census in South Africa in 1911 showed that whites made up 22% of the population; it declined to 16% in 1980,^[20] and 8.9% in 2011.^[21]:21

Languages

South Africa has eleven official languages:^[22] IsiZulu^[19] 22.7%, IsiXhosa^[19] 16%, Afrikaans^[19] 13.5%, English language ^[19] 9.6%, Sepedi ^[19] 9.1%, Setswana^[19] 8%, Sesotho^[19] 7.6%, Xitsonga^[19] 4.5%, siSwati^[19] 2.5%, Tshivenda^[19] 2.4% and isiNdebele^[19]2.1%.

In this regard it is third only to Bolivia and India in number. While all the languages are formally equal, some languages are spoken more than others. According to the 2011 census, the three most spoken first languages are Zulu (22.7%), Xhosa (16.0%), and Afrikaans (13.5%).^[21]:23–25 Despite the fact that English is recognised as the language of commerce and science, it ranked fourth, and was spoken by only 9.6% of South Africans as a first language in 2011.^[21]:23–25

The country also recognises several unofficial languages, including Fanagalo, Khoe, Lobedu, Nama, Northern Ndebele, Phuthi, San and South African Sign Language.^[23] These unofficial languages may be used in certain official uses in limited areas where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent. Nevertheless, their populations are not such that they require nationwide recognition.

Many of the "unofficial languages" of the San and Khoikhoi people contain regional dialects stretching northwards into Namibia and Botswana, and elsewhere. These people, who are a physically distinct population from other Africans, have their own cultural identity based on their hunter-gatherer societies. They have been marginalised to a great extent, and many of their languages are in danger of becoming extinct.

Many white South Africans also speak other European languages, such as Portuguese (also spoken by black Angolans and Mozambicans), German, and Greek, while some Indians and other Asians in South Africa speak South Asian languages, such as Tamil, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu and Telugu. Although many South Africans are of Huguenot (French) origin. South African French is spoken by fewer than 10,000 individuals country-wide. Congolese French is also spoken in South Africa by migrants.

The primary sign language of Deaf South Africans is South African Sign Language. Other sign languages among indigenous peoples are also used.

By ethnicity

In 2011, the first language was Zulu for 28.1% of Black residents, Xhosa for 19.8%, Northern Sotho for 11.2%, Tswana for 9.7%, Sesotho for 9.3%, Tsonga for 5.5%, Swati for 3.1%, Venda for 2.9%, English for 2.8%, Southern Ndebele for 2.6%, Afrikaans for 1.5%, while 3.4% had another first language.^[24]

Among whites, Afrikaans was the first language for 59.1% of the population, compared to 35.0% for English. Other languages accounted for the remaining 5.9%.^[24]

Religion

According to the 2001 national census, Christians accounted for 79.7% of the population. This includes Protestant (36.6%), Zionist Christian (11.1%), Pentecostal/Charismatic) (8.2%), Roman Catholic (7.1%), Methodist (6.8%), Dutch Reformed (6.7%), Anglican (3.8%); members of other Christian churches accounted for another 36% of the population. Muslims accounted for 1.5% of the population , Other 2.3%, and 1.4% were Unspecified and None 15.1%. ^[19]

African Indigenous Churches made up the largest of the Christian groups. Some believe that many people claiming no affiliation with any organised religion adhered to traditional indigenous religions. Many people have syncretic religious practices combining Christian and indigenous influences.^[25]

Muslims are largely found among the Coloured and Indian ethnic groups. They have been joined by black or white South African converts as well as immigrants from other parts of Africa.^[26] South African Muslims claim that their faith is the fastest-growing religion of conversion in the country, with the number of black Muslims growing sixfold, from 12 000 in 1991 to 74 700 in 2004^[26][27]

The Hindu population has its roots in the British colonial period, but later waves of immigration from India have also contributed to it. Most Hindus are of South Asian origin, but there are many who come from mixed racial stock. Some are converts due to the efforts of Hindu missionaries such as ISKCON.

Other minority religions in South Africa are Sikhism, Jainism and Bahá'í Faith.^[28]

By ethnicity

87.9% of Black residents are Christian, 9.5% have no religion, 0.2% are Muslim, 0.0% are Jewish, 0.0% are Hindu and 2.3% have other or undetermined beliefs.

71.8% of White residents are Christian, 23.8% have no religion, 0.2% are Muslim, 1.4% are Jewish, and 0.0% are Hindu. 2.7% have other or undetermined beliefs.

Immigration

South Africa hosts a sizeable refugee and asylum seeker population. According to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, this population numbered approximately 144,700 in 2007.^[29] Groups of refugees and asylum seekers numbering over 10,000 included people from Zimbabwe (48,400), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (24,800), and Somalia (12,900).^[29] These populations mainly lived in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, and Port Elizabeth.^[29] Many refugees have now also started to work and live in rural areas in provinces such as Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.

Statistics SA assumes in some of their calculations that there are less than 2 million immigrants in South Africa.^[30] Other institutions, like the police and Médecins Sans Frontières place estimate the figure at 4 million.^{[31][32][33][34][35]}

Immigration figures

Immigration assumptions by Statistics South Africa to South Africa based on race. Negative numbers represent net migration from South Africa to other countries.^[36]

Year	African	Asian	White
1985-2000	1 135 275	14 476	-304 112
2001-2005	769 038	23 335	-133 782
2006-2010	922 885	34 688	-112 046
2011-2015	1 067 936	40 929	-95 158

Largest municipalities

Largest cities or towns in South Africa 2011 Census
	Rank	Name	Province	Pop.	Rank	Name	Province	Pop.
Soweto Johannesburg	1	Soweto	Gauteng	1,271,628	11	Randburg	Gauteng	337,053	Pretoria Durban
	2	Johannesburg	Gauteng	957,441	12	Mamelodi	Gauteng	334,577
	3	Pretoria	Gauteng	741,651	13	Roodepoort	Gauteng	326,416
	4	Durban	KwaZulu-Natal	595,061	14	Port Elizabeth	Eastern Cape	312,392
	5	Tembisa	Gauteng	463,109	15	Mitchells Plain	Western Cape	310,485
	6	Cape Town	Western Cape	433,688	16	East London	Eastern Cape	267,007
	7	Katlehong	Gauteng	407,294	17	Boksburg	Gauteng	260,321
	8	Umlazi	KwaZulu-Natal	404,811	18	Bloemfontein	Free State (province)	256,185
	9	Soshanguve	Gauteng	403,162	19	Germiston	Gauteng	255,863
	10	Khayelitsha	Western Cape	391,749	20	iBhayi	Eastern Cape	237,799

Graphs and maps

• 
  Population pyramid by population group, 2011
• 
  Black population
• 
  White population
• 
  Coloured population

See also

• Statistics South Africa
• South African National Census of 2001
• South African National Census of 2011
• Afrikaans speaking population in South Africa
• Jewish population of South Africa
• Ethnic groups in South Africa by municipality

References

Further reading

• Alexander, Mary (30 June 2006). "Black, white – or South African?". SAinfo. Retrieved 26 June 2013. 
• "A Nation in the Making: A Discussion Document on Macro-Social Trends in South Africa" (PDF). Government of South Africa. 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2013. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Demographics of South Africa.

• Sunday Standard article on Zimbabwe Refugee Crisis
• Contains information on the South African middle class
• Middle Class in South Africa-Significance, role and impact