Municipality profile, EC142

Senqu

Senqu is a local municipality in Eastern Cape. Census 2022 counted 147 073 people in 48 914 households, about 3.0 people per household. That is up 9.6% from 134 150 people in Census 2011. 88.5% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 40.4% had a flush toilet. It has the 15th largest population of the 33 municipalities in Eastern Cape.

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

People counted in Census 2022

147 073

Up 9.6% from 134 150 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 11. 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

Senqu: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure	2011	2022	Change
Population	134 150	147 073	+9.6%
Households	38 046	48 914	+28.6%
People per household	3.5	3.0	-0.5
Males per 100 females	88.0	86.8	-1.2
Aged 0 to 14	34.0%	31.1%	-2.9 pts
Aged 15 to 34	34.0%	30.7%	-3.3 pts
Aged 60 and over	11.0%	13.5%	+2.5 pts
Households in a formal dwelling	70.2%	88.5%	+18.3 pts
Households in an informal dwelling	5.0%	2.9%	-2.1 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme	59.5%	57.9%	-1.6 pts
Households with a flush toilet	13.6%	40.4%	+26.8 pts
Households with no toilet	15.6%	3.5%	-12.1 pts
Households cooking with electricity	64.5%	66.9%	+2.4 pts
Households cooking with gas	3.3%	28.7%	+25.4 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)	45 166	42 377	-6.2%

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 11; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Eastern Cape, page 12; General housing information per municipality (1), Eastern Cape, page 14; 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: 68 342
Females: 78 731
Males per 100 females: 86.8
Attending school (ages 5 to 24): 42 377

The largest age group in Senqu in 2022 was aged 0 to 14, at 31.1% of people.

Aged 0 to 1431.1%
34.0% in 2011
Aged 15 to 3430.7%
34.0% in 2011
Aged 35 to 5924.6%
21.0% in 2011
Aged 60 and over13.5%
11.0% in 2011

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Eastern Cape, page 11; 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 48 914 households, with about 3.0 people in each. In 2011 there were 38 046, with about 3.5 people in each.

88.5% of households in Senqu lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.

Formal dwelling88.5%
43 301 households
Informal dwelling2.9%
1 415 households
Traditional dwelling8.1%
3 946 households
Other0.5%
252 households

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), General housing information per municipality (1), Eastern Cape, page 14. 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

40.4% of households in Senqu had a flush toilet in 2022, and 66.9% cooked with electricity.

Water from a regional or local scheme57.9%
28 320 households. 59.5% in 2011.
Flush toilet40.4%
19 761 households. 13.6% in 2011.
No toilet3.5%
1 713 households. 15.6% in 2011.
Electricity for cooking66.9%
32 669 households. 64.5% in 2011.
Gas for cooking28.7%
13 995 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: Senqu147 073; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape219 097Senqu has 32.9% fewer people; Average per municipality in South Africa291 209Senqu has 49.5% fewer people
People per household: Senqu3.0; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape3.9Senqu has 0.9 fewer people per household; Average per municipality in South Africa3.9Senqu has 0.9 fewer people per household
Households in a formal dwelling: Senqu88.5%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape82.3%Senqu is 6.2 pts higher; Average per municipality in South Africa87.0%Senqu is 1.5 pts higher
Water from a regional or local scheme: Senqu57.9%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape60.8%Senqu is 2.9 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa74.3%Senqu is 16.4 pts lower
Households with a flush toilet: Senqu40.4%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape52.8%Senqu is 12.4 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa62.0%Senqu is 21.6 pts lower
Electricity for cooking: Senqu66.9%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape63.5%Senqu is 3.4 pts higher; Average per municipality in South Africa66.0%Senqu is 0.9 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).

88.5% of households lived in a formal dwelling, 6.2 pts above the average per municipality in Eastern Cape.
40.4% of households had a flush toilet, 12.4 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 Senqu's (147 073). 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 Senqu: Person indicators per municipality, Eastern Cape, page 11; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Eastern Cape, page 12; General housing information per municipality (1), Eastern Cape, page 14; 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.