South Africa’s Most Populated Cities In South Africa
Using data obtained from Stats SA’s 2011 census and comparing it with 2013’s estimates, it was discovered that the Western Cape and Gauteng had both experienced massive increases in their population over the last 12 years.
The Western Cape’s population has grown by around 1.5 million but, more importantly, the province’s share of the country’s population increased from 10.1 to 11.4 percent.
Gauteng’s population grew by almost 4 million as its share of the population shifted from 19.7 percent to 24 percent. Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape’s share dropped by 1.9 percent and KwaZulu-Natal, previously South Africa’s largest population, dropped by 1.3 percent, falling behind Gauteng. A census of inter-provincial migration between 2006 and 2011 showed that more than 300 000 people moved to the Western Cape and more than 1 million migrated to Gauteng. While, just over 150 000 people left the North West and 100 000 moved out of the Eastern Cape.
Gauteng province, the country’s geographically smallest but economically busiest province, has both the biggest and the fastest growing population, according to census 2011, with 12.2-million people counted in 2011 – a 33.7% increase over 2001, more than double the national average increase.
The list below shows us the most populated provinces in South Africa by ranking:
SOUTH AFRICA’S POPULATION BY PROVINCE – CENSUS 2011
Province Population % of total
Gauteng 12 272 263 23.7%
KwaZulu-Natal 10 267 300 19.8%
Eastern Cape 6 562 053 12.7%
Western Cape 5 822 734 11.3%
Limpopo 5 404 868 10.4%
Mpumalanga 4 039 939 7.8%
North West 3 509 953 6.8%
Free State 2 745 590 5.3%
Northern Cape 1 145 861 2.2%
TOTAL 51 770 560 100%
Source: PopulationLabs Statistics South Africa
