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Municipality profile, CPT

City of Cape Town

City of Cape Town is a metropolitan municipality in Western Cape. Census 2022 counted 4 772 846 people in 1 452 845 households, about 3.3 people per household. That is up 27.6% from 3 740 031 people in Census 2011. 87.5% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 93.4% had a flush toilet. It has the largest population of the 25 municipalities in Western Cape.

Western Cape.

People counted in Census 2022

4 772 846

Up 27.6% from 3 740 031 people in Census 2011.

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Western Cape, page 6. Originally released , revised edition. Downloaded . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.

Census 2011 and Census 2022

City of Cape Town: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure20112022Change
Population3 740 0314 772 846+27.6%
Households1 068 5151 452 845+36.0%
People per household3.53.3-0.2
Males per 100 females95.993.6-2.3
Aged 0 to 1424.8%22.4%-2.4 pts
Aged 15 to 3437.8%35.0%-2.8 pts
Aged 60 and over8.5%10.2%+1.7 pts
Households in a formal dwelling78.4%87.5%+9.1 pts
Households in an informal dwelling20.5%11.7%-8.8 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme97.3%96.9%-0.4 pts
Households with a flush toilet90.2%93.4%+3.2 pts
Households with no toilet2.7%1.0%-1.7 pts
Households cooking with electricity87.9%64.4%-23.5 pts
Households cooking with gas7.5%33.9%+26.4 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)788 356934 103+18.5%

Change is SA Data Hub's calculation from the two figures: a percentage change for counts, and the difference in percentage points (pts) for shares. Cooking shares are of households that named a cooking fuel; Stats SA leaves out “none”.

The 2011 and 2022 figures cover the same area. Stats SA, Census 2022 Municipal fact sheet (Report no. 03-01-82, revised), page 1: “Census 2011 indicators were generated based on aligned census data to current municipal boundaries (2021)”.

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Western Cape, page 6; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Western Cape, page 7; General housing information per municipality (1), Western Cape, page 8; General housing information per municipality (2), Western Cape, page 9. Originally released , revised edition. Downloaded . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.

See how all municipalities changed between Census 2011 and Census 2022

Compare with another place

Questions people ask: Which province is a municipality in? · Which municipalities grew fastest between Census 2011 and Census 2022? · How many municipalities are there in South Africa?

People

Males
2 307 628
Females
2 465 218
Males per 100 females
93.6
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)
934 103
The largest age group in City of Cape Town in 2022 was aged 15 to 34, at 35.0% of people.
  • Aged 0 to 1422.4%

    24.8% in 2011

  • Aged 15 to 3435.0%

    37.8% in 2011

  • Aged 35 to 5932.4%

    28.9% in 2011

  • Aged 60 and over10.2%

    8.5% in 2011

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Western Cape, page 6; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Western Cape, page 7. Originally released , revised edition. Downloaded . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.

Housing

Census 2022 counted 1 452 845 households, with about 3.3 people in each. In 2011 there were 1 068 515, with about 3.5 people in each.

87.5% of households in City of Cape Town lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.
  • Formal dwelling87.5%

    1 271 679 households

  • Informal dwelling11.7%

    170 115 households

  • Traditional dwelling0.5%

    7 419 households

  • Other0.2%

    3 632 households

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), General housing information per municipality (1), Western Cape, page 8. Originally released , revised edition. Downloaded . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.

Water, toilets and cooking

93.4% of households in City of Cape Town had a flush toilet in 2022, and 64.4% cooked with electricity.
  • Water from a regional or local scheme96.9%

    1 407 703 households. 97.3% in 2011.

  • Flush toilet93.4%

    1 356 649 households. 90.2% in 2011.

  • No toilet1.0%

    14 383 households. 2.7% in 2011.

  • Electricity for cooking64.4%

    933 298 households. 87.9% in 2011.

  • Gas for cooking33.9%

    491 776 households. 7.5% in 2011.

Shares of households. Cooking shares are of households that named a cooking fuel. Water from another source includes boreholes, tankers, rivers and springs.

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), General housing information per municipality (2), Western Cape, page 9. Originally released , revised edition. Downloaded . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.

How it compares

Population, 2022
City of Cape Town4 772 846
Average of the other 7 metros2 875 336City of Cape Town has 66.0% more people
People per household
City of Cape Town3.3
Average of the other 7 metros3.3City of Cape Town is about the same
Households in a formal dwelling
City of Cape Town87.5%
Average of the other 7 metros88.7%City of Cape Town is 1.2 pts lower
Water from a regional or local scheme
City of Cape Town96.9%
Average of the other 7 metros94.2%City of Cape Town is 2.7 pts higher
Households with a flush toilet
City of Cape Town93.4%
Average of the other 7 metros84.5%City of Cape Town is 8.9 pts higher
Electricity for cooking
City of Cape Town64.4%
Average of the other 7 metros69.8%City of Cape Town is 5.4 pts lower

Each average is the simple mean of the municipal figures, so a small municipality counts as much as a large one. Gaps between shares are in percentage points (pts). Metros are compared with the other metros, not with their province.

  • 93.4% of households had a flush toilet, 8.9 pts above the average of the other 7 metros.

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Western Cape, page 6; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Western Cape, page 7; General housing information per municipality (1), Western Cape, page 8; General housing information per municipality (2), Western Cape, page 9. Originally released , revised edition. Downloaded . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.

Similar municipalities

The 4 other municipalities in Western Cape whose Census 2022 population is closest to City of Cape Town's (4 772 846). Where two are equally close, the lower municipal code comes first.

Sources

Every 2011 and 2022 figure on this page is from Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43, revised edition, originally released 10 October 2023), which gives Census 2011 figures alongside Census 2022 ones. Tables for City of Cape Town: Person indicators per municipality, Western Cape, page 6; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Western Cape, page 7; General housing information per municipality (1), Western Cape, page 8; General housing information per municipality (2), Western Cape, page 9. SA Data Hub checked them against the publication on 28 October 2026.

Changes, shares of the total, averages and similar municipalities are SA Data Hub's own calculations from those figures. Corrections are listed on the updates page.