South Africa: Statistical Overview

Total Population: 64,007,187

Natural Increase: 1.2%

Density: 51 Inhabitants/km²

Urban Population: 69.3%

Population of main urban zones: Johannesburg (7,860,800); Cape Town (3,431,000); Durban (2,786,100); Pretoria (1,763,400); Port Elizabeth (876,500); Soshanguve (728,100); Evaton (605,500); Pietermaritzburg (475,300); Bloemfontein (464,600); Vereeniging (378,000)

Ethnic Origins: About 80% of African origin; under 10% of European origin; under 10% of mixed African, Asian and/or European origin; and about 2.5% of Asian, primarily Indian, origin. (Statistics South Africa)

Official Language: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu.

Other Languages Spoken: Fanagalo, Hindi, Sotho, Tsotsitaal, Venda.

Business Language(s): English and Afrikaans.

Religion: Christian 86%, ancestral, tribal, animist, or other traditional African religions 5.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other 6,7%

Area: 1,219,090 km²

Type of State: South Africa is a federal parliamentary republic.

Type of Economy: Upper-middle-income, diversified economy (mining, industry, services), but marked by high inequalities..
The economy remains stagnant in a regime of low growth and a persistent challenge related to electricity supply, although the financial sector remains robust and is the main driver of growth.

HDI*: 0.741/1

HDI (World Rank): 107/192

Telephone Code:
To call from South Africa, dial 00
To call South Africa, dial +27

Internet Suffix: .za

Households with a computer: 25.6 per 100 Inhabitants

Telephone Lines: 7.9 per 100 Inhabitants

Internet Users: 75.7 per 100 Inhabitants

Access to Electricity: 87.7% of the Population