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South Africa
A nation of extraordinary diversity at the southern tip of Africa, South Africa has three capital cities: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial). The country's peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy under Nelson Mandela in 1994 was one of the 20th century's most remarkable political transformations. South Africa is the continent's most industrialized economy.
Major cities: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria
2024
64.0M
UN
2050
79.2M
UN
2100
94.3M
UN
~2200
81.0M
GPU
~2500
31.0M
GPU
Population64.0M
Fertility (TFR)2.21
Life expectancy66.3
Median age28.2
Infant mortality24.4 per 1,000
Pop. density52/km²
Urbanization64%
Youth share (0-14)26%
Land area1,213,090 km²
LanguageIsiZulu 23.8%
ReligionChristian
HDI0.741 (#106)
RegionAfrica
Latest available year is shown in parentheses where the source series varies across indicators. Governance metrics use World Bank percentile ranks; battle deaths and military spending are context variables, not direct fertility drivers.
UN WPP 2024 — verified data through 2100
| Year | Population | TFR | Life Exp. | CBR | CDR | Net Migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 13.0M | 6.03 | 43.1 | 41.0 | 21.6 | +9K | 1.9% |
| 1955 | 14.5M | 6.13 | 48.2 | 40.8 | 17.3 | -3K | 2.3% |
| 1960 | 16.4M | 6.11 | 52.6 | 39.8 | 14.2 | +19K | 2.6% |
| 1965 | 19.1M | 5.89 | 54.4 | 39.5 | 13.0 | +83K | 2.7% |
| 1970 | 22.3M | 5.63 | 55.7 | 39.4 | 12.2 | +62K | 2.7% |
| 1975 | 25.7M | 5.19 | 57.6 | 37.0 | 11.0 | +39K | 2.6% |
| 1980 | 29.5M | 4.78 | 60.0 | 34.7 | 9.6 | +258K | 2.5% |
| 1985 | 35.0M | 4.50 | 62.2 | 34.2 | 8.7 | +245K | 2.6% |
| 1990 | 40.7M | 3.72 | 62.9 | 28.7 | 8.2 | +260K | 2.1% |
| 1995 | 44.5M | 3.17 | 61.6 | 25.6 | 8.9 | -98K | 1.7% |
| 2000 | 47.2M | 2.41 | 58.4 | 21.6 | 10.4 | -137K | 1.1% |
| 2005 | 49.5M | 2.51 | 53.9 | 22.7 | 13.3 | +31K | 0.9% |
| 2010 | 52.3M | 2.44 | 58.9 | 22.2 | 11.3 | +69K | 1.1% |
| 2015 | 56.7M | 2.36 | 64.1 | 21.0 | 9.2 | +641K | 1.2% |
| 2020 | 60.6M | 2.26 | 65.2 | 19.5 | 9.7 | +370K | 1.0% |
| 2024Now | 64.0M | 2.21 | 66.3 | 18.5 | 9.2 | +167K | 0.9% |
| 2025 | 64.7M | 2.19 | 66.5 | 18.2 | 9.3 | +146K | 0.9% |
| 2030 | 68.2M | 2.10 | 67.3 | 16.8 | 9.5 | +141K | 0.7% |
| 2035 | 71.2M | 2.04 | 68.1 | 15.8 | 9.8 | +161K | 0.6% |
| 2040 | 74.0M | 1.98 | 68.9 | 15.2 | 10.1 | +158K | 0.5% |
| 2045 | 76.7M | 1.94 | 69.6 | 15.0 | 10.4 | +164K | 0.5% |
| 2050 | 79.2M | 1.89 | 70.3 | 14.4 | 10.7 | +178K | 0.4% |
| 2055 | 81.4M | 1.87 | 71.0 | 14.0 | 11.0 | +187K | 0.3% |
| 2060 | 83.4M | 1.84 | 71.7 | 13.6 | 11.2 | +188K | 0.2% |
| 2065 | 85.3M | 1.81 | 72.4 | 13.2 | 11.4 | +178K | 0.2% |
| 2070 | 86.9M | 1.80 | 73.1 | 12.9 | 11.6 | +215K | 0.1% |
| 2075 | 88.3M | 1.78 | 73.8 | 12.6 | 11.6 | +184K | 0.1% |
| 2080 | 89.7M | 1.77 | 74.5 | 12.4 | 11.6 | +203K | 0.1% |
| 2085 | 91.0M | 1.76 | 75.2 | 12.2 | 11.6 | +170K | 0.1% |
| 2090 | 92.2M | 1.75 | 75.9 | 12.0 | 11.5 | +186K | 0.0% |
| 2095 | 93.3M | 1.75 | 76.6 | 11.8 | 11.5 | +174K | 0.0% |
| 2100 | 94.3M | 1.74 | 77.3 | 11.7 | 11.5 | +199K | 0.0% |