Page last modified 21 August 2023
South Africa
Community
Area 1,219,090 square kilometres (land area 1,214,470 square kilometres)
Population, The population has been increased since 2000 by refugees from Zimbabwe.
5,174,827 (1904)
5,972,757 (1911)
6,927,403 (1921)
9,587,863 (1936)
11,415,925 (1946)
12,671,452 (1951)
17,100,000 (1960)
22,070,000 (1970)
28,557,000 (1980)
36,800,000 (1990)
44,968,000 (2000)
51,220,000 (2010)
55,386,000 (2015)
57,780,000 (2018)
Ethnicity, %
|
|
Asian |
Black |
Mixed race |
White |
|
1904 |
|
|
|
21.6 |
|
1911 |
|
|
|
21.4 |
|
1921 |
2.4 |
67.8 |
7.9 |
21.9 |
|
1936 |
|
|
|
20.9 |
|
1941 |
1.8 |
|
|
|
|
1946 |
|
|
|
20.8 |
|
1951 |
|
|
|
20.8 |
|
1961 |
3.0 |
68.2 |
9.4 |
19.3 |
|
1971 |
2.9 |
71.2 |
9.4 |
17.4 |
|
1981 |
|
|
|
18.2 |
|
1991 |
|
|
|
16.4 |
|
2001 |
3.0 |
79.0 |
9.0 |
9.6 |
|
2014 |
2.5 |
80.2 |
8.8 |
8.4 |
Religion, %
|
|
Christian |
Hindu |
Jewish |
Muslim |
None |
|
1947 |
51.0(of Africans) |
63.2(of Asians) |
4.4 (of Europeans) |
21.5(of Asians) |
|
|
2001 |
80.0 |
|
|
1.5 |
15.1 |
|
2010 |
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1904 |
|
|
|
|
41.4 |
|
|
|
1912 |
|
31.9 (+21.6) |
|
10.3 |
|
|
|
|
1921 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
14.7 |
|
1933 |
|
24.1 (+14.3) |
63.0 |
9.8 |
|
|
|
|
1946 |
|
27.1 (+18.1) |
42.0 |
9.0 |
|
|
26.3 |
|
1950 |
|
43.0 (+23.0) |
152.0 |
20.0 |
37.6 |
5.5 |
39.1 |
|
1960 |
6.0 |
42.0 (+27.2) |
|
14.8 |
41.4 |
3.8 |
46.6 |
|
1970 |
5.7 |
36.0 (+23.7) |
90.0 |
12.3 |
41.6 |
3.7 |
47.81 |
|
1980 |
5.0 |
35.0 (+24.2) |
66.0 |
10.8 |
41.1 |
3.5 |
48.4 |
|
1990 |
4.0 |
29.0 (+20.7) |
44.6 |
8.3 |
39.2 |
3.5 |
52.0 |
|
2000 |
2.7 |
25.0 (+13.4) |
46.3 |
11.6 |
33.6 |
4.0 |
56.9 |
|
2010 |
2.6 |
22.5 (+9.5) |
37.3 |
13.0 |
30.4 |
4.7 |
62.2 |
|
2015 |
2.5 |
21.3 (+11.2) |
31.4 |
10.1 |
29.3 |
5.1 |
64.8 |
|
2017 |
2.4 |
20.9 (+11.3) |
29.6 |
9.6 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
28.5 |
|
29.1 |
5.3 |
66.4 |
Europeans
only
1Non-White,
40.4%. White, 87.5%
Life expectancy, Decline in life expectancy in the 1990s due to AIDS.�
57.4
(1922); 55.6 (M), 59.2 (F)
62.9
(1938); 60.5 (M), 65.5 (F)
41.5 (1952)
52.2 (1960); 50.1 (M), 54.5 (F)
55.9 (1970); 53.4 (M), 58.6 (F)
57.8 (1980); 54.5 (M), 61.4 (F)
62.1 (1990); 58.4 (M), 66.0 (F)
56.4 (2000); 53.3 (M), 59.6 (F)
55.9 (2010); 53.0 (M), 58.9 (F)
64.1 (2020); 60.7 (M), 67.7 (F)
Europeans
only
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
Cape Town1 |
Durban2 |
Johannesburg3 |
MA |
Port Elizabeth4 |
TSHWANE5 (Pretoria) |
|
1840 |
20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1849 |
24 |
0.5 Whites |
|
|
|
|
|
1866 |
|
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
1875 |
45 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1887 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
1891 |
84 |
36 |
60 |
|
|
12 |
|
1901 |
165 |
56 |
100 |
|
|
15 |
|
1910 |
|
60 |
190 |
|
|
|
|
1940 |
188 |
113 |
282 |
|
58 |
113 |
|
1950 |
560 |
477 |
863 |
|
|
278 |
|
1960 |
731 |
681 |
1,153 |
|
|
416 |
|
1970 |
1,100 |
843 |
1,433 |
|
400 |
544 |
|
1980 |
|
|
1,556 |
|
492 |
528 |
|
1990 |
|
1,130 |
1,916 |
4,075 |
|
1,028 |
|
2000 |
2,715 |
2,370 |
2,732 |
|
|
|
|
2009 |
3,353 |
2,837 |
3,607 |
|
|
1,338 |
|
2011 |
3,740 MA |
3,842 MA |
|
7,861 |
1,152 MA |
2,921 MA |
1Cape Town was founded in 1652 by Johan van Riebeek, of the Dutch East India Company.� Until the Suez Canal opened, Cape Town was important as the last stop for ships to re-provision on the voyage from Europe to the East Indies.� Replenishing the ships stores with fruit grown in the Cape Town area was vital to prevent scurvy amongst the crew.
2Durban was founded in 1824 as Port Natal, it was renamed in 1835 after Benjamin D�Urban, Governor of the Eastern District of Cape Colony.
3Johannesburg was founded in 1886, to serve the gold mines in the area.� It was named after Johannes Meyer, the first mining commissioner.
4Port Elizabeth was founded in 1820 by British settlers, the settlement was named after the wife of the lieutenant-general of the Cape Province.� Wool and fruit were the main exports; the port was considerably improved in 1928.
5Tshwane (Pretoria) was laid out in 1855, and named after Pretorius, first President of South Africa.� It replaced Potchefstroom as capital in 1863.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1948 |
4,096 |
1.83 |
347 |
22.75 |
|
1956 |
4,300 |
1.20 |
|
|
|
1960 |
7,570 |
1.39 |
435 |
14.47 |
|
1965 |
11,300 |
1.52 |
572 |
14.94 |
|
1970 |
20,200 |
1.94 |
820 |
15.63 |
|
1975 |
37,200 |
2.27 |
1,440 |
18.41 |
|
1980 |
80,550 |
2.88 |
2,921 |
23.19 |
|
1985 |
57,280 |
1.36 |
1,829 |
10.01 |
|
1990 |
112,000 |
1.93 |
3,182 |
13.28 |
|
1995 |
151,120 |
2.04 |
3,828 |
12.73 |
|
2000 |
125,710 |
1.26 |
2,922 |
8.02 |
|
2005 |
240,200 |
1.83 |
5,400 |
12.19 |
|
2010 |
364,000 |
2.43 |
7,360 |
15.21 |
|
2015 |
317,000 |
1.76 |
5,770 |
10.27 |
|
2016 |
295,000 |
1.59 |
5,273 |
9.18 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1919 |
24.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1929 |
17.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1939 |
12.8 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1949 |
13.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1960 |
11.2 |
32.0 |
|
30.0 |
|
38.0 |
|
1980 |
|
30.0 |
|
29.0 |
|
41.0 |
|
1990 |
5.9 |
|
40.5 |
31.9 |
53.6 |
42.1 |
|
2000 |
4.0 |
30.0 |
32.2 |
25.0 |
63.7 |
45.0 |
|
2010 |
2.5 |
9.0 |
31.6 |
26.0 |
65.9 |
65.0 |
|
2014 |
|
4.6 |
|
23.5 |
|
71.9 |
|
2016 |
2.4 |
|
29.0 |
|
68.6 |
|
Communications
Language
Official; Afrikaans1 (since 1924), English, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhosa, Zulu
|
|
Afrikaans |
English |
Sepedi |
Sesotho |
Setswana |
Xhosa |
Zulu |
|
1947(2) |
55.9 |
39.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1960 |
11.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1990 |
|
|
|
|
|
21.0 |
16.0 |
|
2001 |
13.3 |
8.6 |
9.4 |
9.4 |
8.2 |
17.6 |
23.8 |
1Afrikaans was spoken by the descendants of Dutch colonists of South Africa, and �became a standardised written language in the 1870s.
(2) 1947 = Europeans only
Literacy
57.0% (1960)
78.9% (1985)
81.8% (1995); 81.9% (M), 81.7% (F)
85.3% (2000); 86.0% (M), 84.6% (F)
88.0% (2010); 88.9% (M), 87.2% (F)
94.4% (2015); 95.4% (M), 93.4% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1919 |
|
|
|
|
1,000 |
|
1938 |
137,500 |
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
1946 |
|
|
317,958 |
|
51,215 |
|
1954 |
|
|
|
|
627,000 |
|
1956 |
|
|
810,000 |
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
|
|
212,000 |
|
1962 |
|
|
1,045,000 |
|
250,000 |
|
1964 |
|
|
1,278,000 |
|
|
|
1968 |
|
|
|
1,415,000 |
373,000 |
|
1979 |
185,262 |
|
3,400,000 |
2,300,000 |
860,000 |
|
1986 |
|
|
4,426,000 |
3,147,700 |
1,252,900 |
|
1992 |
|
|
|
3,522,000 |
1,339,000 |
|
1997 |
|
|
|
3,800,000 |
1,450,000 |
|
2002 |
510,000 |
|
6,990,000 |
4,000,000 |
|
|
2006 |
754,600 |
|
8,000,000 |
|
|
|
2010 |
|
158,952 |
8,472,000 |
|
|
|
2013 |
|
|
9,526,000 |
|
|
|
2017 |
|
|
12,027,860 |
12,009,553 |
|
Railways; First railway in South Africa, Durban to Point, opened 1860.
Length, kilometres, (% electrified)
3 (1860)
109 (1870)
1,634 (1880)
3,848 (1890)
7,008 (1900)
12,209 (1910)
16,287 (1920)
21,685 (1930)
21,872 (1940)
21,743 (1950)
21,400 (1960)
22,200 (1961)
23,328 (1980)
23,821 (1985) (33.2% e)
22,675 (2000)
21,220 (2005)
20,192 (2010)
22,100 (2010)
20,986 (2014) (39.8% e)
Electronic communications, TV broadcasting began 1976
|
|
Telephones (landlines) 1,000s |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios 1,000s |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1938 |
176 |
|
180 |
|
|
|
|
1943 |
233 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1946 |
|
|
373 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
555 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
996 |
|
|
|
|
1961 |
970 |
|
1,068 |
|
|
|
|
1975 |
1,156 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
|
610,000 |
|
|
|
1980 |
1,632 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1988 |
|
|
|
|
150,000 |
|
|
1989 |
|
3,980 |
|
|
|
|
|
1990 |
3,315 |
5,680 |
11,450 |
3,700,000 |
250,000 |
|
|
1995 |
|
535,000 |
13,100 |
4,500,000 |
1,100,000 |
|
|
1998 |
|
|
13,800 |
|
|
1,040,000 |
|
2000 |
4,962 |
8,339,000 |
|
|
2,900,000 |
2,400,000 |
|
2001 |
|
|
|
|
|
2,890,000 |
|
2005 |
|
34,000,000 |
|
|
3,966,000 |
|
|
2008 |
4,400 |
|
|
|
|
4,187,000 |
|
2010 |
4,250 |
50,372,000 |
|
|
|
6,000,000 |
|
2016 |
3,563 |
76,653,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
29,935,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to South Africa,
641,588 (1978)
703,000 (1987)
1,029,000 (1990)
4,488,000 (1995)
5,872,000 (2000)
7,369,000 (2005)
8,074,000 (2010)
8,904,000 (2015)
�