South Africa's Population Increases To 62 Million, Statistics South Africa Reveals

The population of  South Africa has grown approximately by 10 million people in the past decade, resulting in a total of 62 million individuals currently residing there, Statistics South Africa reports. This is the fourth democratic census since the previous one was published in 2011.

Based on the statistics, the population of South Africa has increased from the previous census in 2011. The current data indicates that there are now 62,027,503 individuals residing in the country as opposed to 51,770,560 in 2011. This equates to a population growth rate of 1.8%.

The census data indicated that the nation has a population of over 2.4 million international migrants, accounting for approximately 3% of the overall populace. Approximately 45.5% of individuals who migrate internationally originate from Zimbabwe, followed by 18.7% from Mozambique, and 10.2% from Lesotho.

Black Africans continues to be the largest population group, making up 81.4% of the population, which is approximately 50.4 million individuals. Compared to the 2011 census, where around 41 million black people were recorded, the black African population grew by approximately 9 million.

The colored population constitute 8.2% or approximately 5 million people, while white individuals account for 7.3% or 4.5 million people

 The 2022 census in the country marked a historic milestone as it became the first digital census to take place in the country. The recent census was the fourth one conducted since the democratic elections that occurred after apartheid ended in 1994. It also marked the first census in more than ten years, with previous attempts disrupted by the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The data was gathered through an electronic survey utilizing three distinct methods of collection which included, personal interviews by field workers, telephone interviews and the public filling questionnaire on the internet.

President Cyril Ramaphosa commended the statistics agency for its contribution, emphasizing the importance of the information for government planning. He stated that the data would aid in determining the allocation of the budget, as well as guide the utilization and distribution of the country's resources.