Municipality profile, EC136

Emalahleni

Emalahleni is a local municipality in Eastern Cape. Census 2022 counted 128 873 people in 32 771 households, about 3.9 people per household. That is up 6.7% from 120 758 people in Census 2011. 83.4% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 38.6% had a flush toilet. It has the 19th largest population of the 33 municipalities in Eastern Cape.

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

People counted in Census 2022

128 873

Up 6.7% from 120 758 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

Emalahleni: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure	2011	2022	Change
Population	120 758	128 873	+6.7%
Households	32 005	32 771	+2.4%
People per household	3.8	3.9	+0.1
Males per 100 females	90.1	94.8	+4.7
Aged 0 to 14	35.1%	30.6%	-4.5 pts
Aged 15 to 34	29.8%	27.9%	-1.9 pts
Aged 60 and over	13.7%	17.1%	+3.4 pts
Households in a formal dwelling	55.8%	83.4%	+27.6 pts
Households in an informal dwelling	0.5%	0.4%	-0.1 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme	56.7%	66.3%	+9.6 pts
Households with a flush toilet	13.1%	38.6%	+25.5 pts
Households with no toilet	31.8%	12.4%	-19.4 pts
Households cooking with electricity	60.7%	69.7%	+9.0 pts
Households cooking with gas	3.2%	24.6%	+21.4 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)	40 766	35 069	-14.0%

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: 62 702
Females: 66 171
Males per 100 females: 94.8
Attending school (ages 5 to 24): 35 069

The largest age group in Emalahleni in 2022 was aged 0 to 14, at 30.6% of people.

Aged 0 to 1430.6%
35.1% in 2011
Aged 15 to 3427.9%
29.8% in 2011
Aged 35 to 5924.4%
21.4% in 2011
Aged 60 and over17.1%
13.7% 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 32 771 households, with about 3.9 people in each. In 2011 there were 32 005, with about 3.8 people in each.

83.4% of households in Emalahleni lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.

Formal dwelling83.4%
27 344 households
Informal dwelling0.4%
146 households
Traditional dwelling15.9%
5 224 households
Other0.2%
58 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

38.6% of households in Emalahleni had a flush toilet in 2022, and 69.7% cooked with electricity.

Water from a regional or local scheme66.3%
21 740 households. 56.7% in 2011.
Flush toilet38.6%
12 645 households. 13.1% in 2011.
No toilet12.4%
4 060 households. 31.8% in 2011.
Electricity for cooking69.7%
22 744 households. 60.7% in 2011.
Gas for cooking24.6%
8 037 households. 3.2% 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: Emalahleni128 873; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape219 097Emalahleni has 41.2% fewer people; Average per municipality in South Africa291 209Emalahleni has 55.7% fewer people
People per household: Emalahleni3.9; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape3.9Emalahleni is about the same; Average per municipality in South Africa3.9Emalahleni is about the same
Households in a formal dwelling: Emalahleni83.4%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape82.3%Emalahleni is 1.1 pts higher; Average per municipality in South Africa87.0%Emalahleni is 3.6 pts lower
Water from a regional or local scheme: Emalahleni66.3%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape60.8%Emalahleni is 5.5 pts higher; Average per municipality in South Africa74.3%Emalahleni is 8.0 pts lower
Households with a flush toilet: Emalahleni38.6%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape52.8%Emalahleni is 14.2 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa62.0%Emalahleni is 23.4 pts lower
Electricity for cooking: Emalahleni69.7%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape63.5%Emalahleni is 6.2 pts higher; Average per municipality in South Africa66.0%Emalahleni is 3.7 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).

38.6% of households had a flush toilet, 14.2 pts below the average per municipality in Eastern Cape.
12.4% of households had no toilet.

Similar municipalities

The 4 other municipalities in Eastern Cape whose Census 2022 population is closest to Emalahleni's (128 873). 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 Emalahleni: 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.