Municipality profile, EC122

Mnquma

Mnquma is a local municipality in Eastern Cape. Census 2022 counted 232 993 people in 65 221 households, about 3.6 people per household. That is down 5.1% from 245 629 people in Census 2011. 79.0% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 34.1% had a flush toilet. It has the 9th largest population of the 33 municipalities in Eastern Cape.

Eastern Cape. Category B4 in the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework.

People counted in Census 2022

232 993

Down 5.1% from 245 629 people in Census 2011.

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Eastern Cape, page 10. Originally released 10 October 2023, revised edition. Downloaded 27 October 2026. Checked on SA Data Hub 28 October 2026. Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.

Census 2011 and Census 2022

Mnquma: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure	2011	2022	Change
Population	245 629	232 993	-5.1%
Households	67 962	65 221	-4.0%
People per household	3.6	3.6	0.0
Males per 100 females	87.9	91.6	+3.7
Aged 0 to 14	34.2%	29.9%	-4.3 pts
Aged 15 to 34	31.7%	29.4%	-2.3 pts
Aged 60 and over	12.5%	15.7%	+3.2 pts
Households in a formal dwelling	49.1%	79.0%	+29.9 pts
Households in an informal dwelling	8.1%	1.2%	-6.9 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme	42.7%	36.5%	-6.2 pts
Households with a flush toilet	15.1%	34.1%	+19.0 pts
Households with no toilet	7.1%	0.9%	-6.2 pts
Households cooking with electricity	46.4%	66.6%	+20.2 pts
Households cooking with gas	3.3%	25.1%	+21.8 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)	84 329	63 221	-25.0%

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, Eastern Cape, page 10; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Eastern Cape, page 12; General housing information per municipality (1), Eastern Cape, page 13; General housing information per municipality (2), Eastern Cape, page 15. Originally released 10 October 2023, revised edition. Downloaded 27 October 2026. Checked on SA Data Hub 28 October 2026. 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: 111 374
Females: 121 619
Males per 100 females: 91.6
Attending school (ages 5 to 24): 63 221

The largest age group in Mnquma in 2022 was aged 0 to 14, at 29.9% of people.

Aged 0 to 1429.9%
34.2% in 2011
Aged 15 to 3429.4%
31.7% in 2011
Aged 35 to 5925.0%
21.6% in 2011
Aged 60 and over15.7%
12.5% in 2011

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Eastern Cape, page 10; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Eastern Cape, page 12. Originally released 10 October 2023, revised edition. Downloaded 27 October 2026. Checked on SA Data Hub 28 October 2026. Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.

Housing

Census 2022 counted 65 221 households, with about 3.6 people in each. In 2011 there were 67 962, with about 3.6 people in each.

79.0% of households in Mnquma lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.

Formal dwelling79.0%
51 526 households
Informal dwelling1.2%
782 households
Traditional dwelling18.8%
12 249 households
Other1.0%
664 households

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), General housing information per municipality (1), Eastern Cape, page 13. Originally released 10 October 2023, revised edition. Downloaded 27 October 2026. Checked on SA Data Hub 28 October 2026. Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.

Water, toilets and cooking

34.1% of households in Mnquma had a flush toilet in 2022, and 66.6% cooked with electricity.

Water from a regional or local scheme36.5%
23 776 households. 42.7% in 2011.
Flush toilet34.1%
22 244 households. 15.1% in 2011.
No toilet0.9%
571 households. 7.1% in 2011.
Electricity for cooking66.6%
43 375 households. 46.4% in 2011.
Gas for cooking25.1%
16 355 households. 3.3% 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), Eastern Cape, page 15. Originally released 10 October 2023, revised edition. Downloaded 27 October 2026. Checked on SA Data Hub 28 October 2026. Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.

How it compares

Population, 2022: Mnquma232 993; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape219 097Mnquma has 6.3% more people; Average per municipality in South Africa291 209Mnquma has 20.0% fewer people
People per household: Mnquma3.6; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape3.9Mnquma has 0.3 fewer people per household; Average per municipality in South Africa3.9Mnquma has 0.3 fewer people per household
Households in a formal dwelling: Mnquma79.0%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape82.3%Mnquma is 3.3 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa87.0%Mnquma is 8.0 pts lower
Water from a regional or local scheme: Mnquma36.5%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape60.8%Mnquma is 24.3 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa74.3%Mnquma is 37.8 pts lower
Households with a flush toilet: Mnquma34.1%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape52.8%Mnquma is 18.7 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa62.0%Mnquma is 27.9 pts lower
Electricity for cooking: Mnquma66.6%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape63.5%Mnquma is 3.1 pts higher; Average per municipality in South Africa66.0%Mnquma is 0.6 pts higher

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).

79.0% of households lived in a formal dwelling, 3.3 pts below the average per municipality in Eastern Cape.
34.1% of households had a flush toilet, 18.7 pts below the average per municipality in Eastern Cape.

Similar municipalities

The 4 other municipalities in Eastern Cape whose Census 2022 population is closest to Mnquma's (232 993). 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 Mnquma: Person indicators per municipality, Eastern Cape, page 10; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Eastern Cape, page 12; General housing information per municipality (1), Eastern Cape, page 13; General housing information per municipality (2), Eastern Cape, page 15. 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.