Municipality profile, EC441

Matatiele

Matatiele is a local municipality in Eastern Cape. Census 2022 counted 225 562 people in 55 757 households, about 4.0 people per household. That is up 10.7% from 203 843 people in Census 2011. 75.8% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 28.1% had a flush toilet. It has the 10th largest population of the 33 municipalities in Eastern Cape.

Eastern Cape. Category B3 in the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework.

People counted in Census 2022

225 562

Up 10.7% from 203 843 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

Matatiele: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure	2011	2022	Change
Population	203 843	225 562	+10.7%
Households	49 527	55 757	+12.6%
People per household	4.1	4.0	-0.1
Males per 100 females	85.0	88.6	+3.6
Aged 0 to 14	38.4%	33.6%	-4.8 pts
Aged 15 to 34	32.6%	32.7%	+0.1 pts
Aged 60 and over	9.9%	11.6%	+1.7 pts
Households in a formal dwelling	49.7%	75.8%	+26.1 pts
Households in an informal dwelling	1.4%	0.7%	-0.7 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme	48.7%	46.1%	-2.6 pts
Households with a flush toilet	11.9%	28.1%	+16.2 pts
Households with no toilet	12.5%	4.2%	-8.3 pts
Households cooking with electricity	32.0%	52.9%	+20.9 pts
Households cooking with gas	7.6%	26.7%	+19.1 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)	74 310	69 647	-6.3%

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: 105 977
Females: 119 585
Males per 100 females: 88.6
Attending school (ages 5 to 24): 69 647

The largest age group in Matatiele in 2022 was aged 0 to 14, at 33.6% of people.

Aged 0 to 1433.6%
38.4% in 2011
Aged 15 to 3432.7%
32.6% in 2011
Aged 35 to 5922.0%
19.1% in 2011
Aged 60 and over11.6%
9.9% 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 55 757 households, with about 4.0 people in each. In 2011 there were 49 527, with about 4.1 people in each.

75.8% of households in Matatiele lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.

Formal dwelling75.8%
42 281 households
Informal dwelling0.7%
401 households
Traditional dwelling23.1%
12 892 households
Other0.3%
183 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

28.1% of households in Matatiele had a flush toilet in 2022, and 52.9% cooked with electricity.

Water from a regional or local scheme46.1%
25 678 households. 48.7% in 2011.
Flush toilet28.1%
15 656 households. 11.9% in 2011.
No toilet4.2%
2 356 households. 12.5% in 2011.
Electricity for cooking52.9%
29 475 households. 32.0% in 2011.
Gas for cooking26.7%
14 845 households. 7.6% 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: Matatiele225 562; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape219 097Matatiele has 3.0% more people; Average per municipality in South Africa291 209Matatiele has 22.5% fewer people
People per household: Matatiele4.0; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape3.9Matatiele has 0.1 more people per household; Average per municipality in South Africa3.9Matatiele has 0.1 more people per household
Households in a formal dwelling: Matatiele75.8%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape82.3%Matatiele is 6.5 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa87.0%Matatiele is 11.2 pts lower
Water from a regional or local scheme: Matatiele46.1%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape60.8%Matatiele is 14.7 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa74.3%Matatiele is 28.2 pts lower
Households with a flush toilet: Matatiele28.1%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape52.8%Matatiele is 24.7 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa62.0%Matatiele is 33.9 pts lower
Electricity for cooking: Matatiele52.9%; Average per municipality in Eastern Cape63.5%Matatiele is 10.6 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa66.0%Matatiele is 13.1 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).

75.8% of households lived in a formal dwelling, 6.5 pts below the average per municipality in Eastern Cape.
28.1% of households had a flush toilet, 24.7 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 Matatiele's (225 562). 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 Matatiele: 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.