SA population grows past 63 million

The South African population has grown by 835 513 in one year to reach 63.02 million people in July this year, Statistics South Africa announced on Tuesday.

According to its latest mid-year population estimates, the country's population grew by 1.33% between July 2023 and July 2024, with more than half of the population now female.

The most populated province remained Gauteng with 16 million people, which is more than a quarter of the country's population, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, with 12.3 million people, and the Western Cape, with 7.6 million people.

The least populated province is the Northern Cape, which has 1.4 million people and 2.2% of the country's population.

Provincial population growth can be attributed to migration, with Stats SA estimating that 1.3 people will migrate to Gauteng between 2021 and 2026, while 492 427 people will migrate to the Western Cape.

The latest estimates also show a large youthful population, with nearly 30% of the country's population under 15 years old. Those 60 years or older constitute 9.7% of the population at 6.13 million.

Meanwhile, life expectancy at birth in 2024 was an estimated 66.5 years, increasing from 53.6 years in 2005. Female life expectancy has reached 69.2 years, while male life expectancy is 63.6 years.

According to Stats SA, the increase in life expectancy can be attributed to the improvement in medical services and access to medication, such as the expanded rollout of antiretroviral therapy for those affected by HIV/AIDS and the increase in vaccinations and treatments for the Covid-19 infection during the pandemic.

South Africa's average life expectancy (66.5 years) is still lower than in countries such as Ethiopia, Malawi, Namibia, Pakistan and Rwanda. In Hong Kong and Japan, life expectancy is the highest (around 85 years).

- News24