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] the 2016 Community Survey,[2] and the most recent 2022 Census.[3]

## Research about total figures for each province.recent figures-2022[edit]

Rank  | Province  | Census 2011  | 2016 community survey  | Census 2022

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Population  | Percentage  | Population  | Percentage  | Population  | Percentage
1  | Gauteng | 12,272,263  | 23.7  | 13,399,724  | 24.1  | 15,099,422  | 24.3
2  | KwaZulu-Natal | 10,267,300  | 19.8  | 11,065,240  | 19.9  | 12,423,907  | 20.0
3  | Western Cape | 5,822,734  | 11.2  | 6,279,730  | 11.3  | 7,433,019  | 12.0
4  | Eastern Cape | 6,562,053  | 12.7  | 6,996,976  | 12.6  | 7,230,204  | 11.6
5  | Limpopo | 5,404,868  | 10.4  | 5,799,090  | 10.4  | 6,572,720  | 10.6
6  | Mpumalanga | 4,039,939  | 7.8  | 4,335,964  | 7.8  | 5,143,324  | 8.3
7  | North West | 3,509,953  | 6.8  | 3,748,435  | 6.7  | 3,804,548  | 6.1
8  | Free State | 2,745,590  | 5.3  | 2,834,714  | 5.1  | 2,745,590  | 4.4
9  | Northern Cape | 1,145,861  | 2.2  | 1,193,780  | 2.1  | 1,355,946  | 2.2
South Africa | 51,770,561 | 100.0 | 55,653,654 | 100.0 | 62,027,503 | 100.0

## Historical data[edit]

Since the creation of the current provinces in 1994 there have been three censuses, in 1996, 2001 and 2011.

Province  | Census 1996[4] | Percentage  | Census 2001[4] | Percentage  | Census 2011  | Percentage

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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[edit]

* List of South African provinces by population density

## References[edit]

1. ^ Census 2011: Census in brief (PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2012. p. 18\. ISBN 9780621413885. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 May 2015.
2. ^ Community Survey 2016 in Brief (PDF). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2016. ISBN 9780621449785.
3. ^ "Statistics South Africa | Census Dissemination". census.statssa.gov.za. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
4. ^ a b Census 2001: Census in brief (PDF). Statistics South Africa. 2003. p. 6\. ISBN 0-621-34293-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2005. Retrieved 15 January 2011.

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Lists relating to the provinces of South Africa

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