List of South African provinces by population
Since the election of 27 April 1994, South Africa has been divided into nine provinces. They vary widely in population, from the mostly-urban Gauteng, which contains over 20% of the national population, to the mostly-desert Northern Cape, which contains less than 3%. The following table shows the provincial populations according to the 2011 National Census[1] and the most recent mid-year population estimate by Statistics South Africa.[2]
Rank |
Province |
2011 census |
2015 mid-year estimate |
Population |
Percentage |
Population |
Percentage |
1 |
Gauteng |
12,272,263 |
23.7 |
13,200,300 |
24.0 |
2 |
KwaZulu-Natal |
10,267,300 |
19.8 |
10,919,100 |
19.9 |
3 |
Eastern Cape |
6,562,053 |
12.7 |
6,916,200 |
12.6 |
4 |
Western Cape |
5,822,734 |
11.2 |
6,200,100 |
11.3 |
5 |
Limpopo |
5,404,868 |
10.4 |
5,726,800 |
10.4 |
6 |
Mpumalanga |
4,039,939 |
7.8 |
4,283,900 |
7.8 |
7 |
North West |
3,509,953 |
6.8 |
3,707,100 |
6.7 |
8 |
Free State |
2,745,590 |
5.3 |
2,817,900 |
5.1 |
9 |
Northern Cape |
1,145,861 |
2.2 |
1,185,600 |
2.2 |
South Africa |
51,770,561 |
100.0 |
54,956,900 |
100.0 |
Historical data
Since the creation of the current provinces in 1994 there have been three censuses, in 1996, 2001 and 2011.
Province |
Census 1996[3] |
Percentage |
Census 2001[3] |
Percentage |
Census 2011 |
Percentage |
Gauteng |
7,348,423 |
18.1 |
8,837,178 |
19.7 |
12,272,263 |
23.7 |
KwaZulu-Natal |
8,417,021 |
20.7 |
9,426,017 |
21.0 |
10,267,300 |
19.8 |
Eastern Cape |
6,302,525 |
15.5 |
6,436,763 |
14.4 |
6,562,053 |
12.7 |
Western Cape |
3,956,875 |
9.7 |
4,524,335 |
10.1 |
5,822,734 |
11.2 |
Limpopo |
4,929,368 |
12.1 |
5,273,642 |
11.8 |
5,404,868 |
10.4 |
Mpumalanga |
2,800,711 |
6.9 |
3,122,990 |
7.0 |
4,039,939 |
7.8 |
North West |
3,354,825 |
8.3 |
3,669,349 |
8.2 |
3,509,953 |
6.8 |
Free State |
2,633,504 |
6.5 |
2,706,775 |
6.0 |
2,745,590 |
5.3 |
Northern Cape |
840,321 |
2.1 |
822,727 |
1.0 |
1,145,861 |
2.2 |
South Africa |
40,583,573 |
100.0 |
44,819,776 |
100.0 |
51,770,561 |
100.0 |
See also
References