Skip to main content
SA Data Hub

Municipality profile, FS183

Tswelopele

Tswelopele is a local municipality in Free State. Census 2022 counted 56 896 people in 14 798 households, about 3.8 people per household. That is up 19.5% from 47 625 people in Census 2011. 85.2% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 83.2% had a flush toilet. It has the 13th largest population of the 19 municipalities in Free State.

Free State. Category B3 in the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework.

People counted in Census 2022

56 896

Up 19.5% from 47 625 people in Census 2011.

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Free State, page 20. 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

Tswelopele: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure20112022Change
Population47 62556 896+19.5%
Households11 99114 798+23.4%
People per household4.03.8-0.2
Males per 100 females92.393.1+0.8
Aged 0 to 1433.8%30.1%-3.7 pts
Aged 15 to 3434.7%34.1%-0.6 pts
Aged 60 and over8.1%9.1%+1.0 pts
Households in a formal dwelling80.4%85.2%+4.8 pts
Households in an informal dwelling18.7%13.4%-5.3 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme76.1%84.9%+8.8 pts
Households with a flush toilet81.2%83.2%+2.0 pts
Households with no toilet6.3%2.7%-3.6 pts
Households cooking with electricity87.8%80.9%-6.9 pts
Households cooking with gas2.3%16.0%+13.7 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)13 03115 704+20.5%

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, Free State, page 20; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Free State, page 21; General housing information per municipality (1), Free State, page 22; General housing information per municipality (2), Free State, page 23. 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
27 428
Females
29 468
Males per 100 females
93.1
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)
15 704
The largest age group in Tswelopele in 2022 was aged 15 to 34, at 34.1% of people.
  • Aged 0 to 1430.1%

    33.8% in 2011

  • Aged 15 to 3434.1%

    34.7% in 2011

  • Aged 35 to 5926.7%

    23.5% in 2011

  • Aged 60 and over9.1%

    8.1% in 2011

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Free State, page 20; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Free State, page 21. 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 14 798 households, with about 3.8 people in each. In 2011 there were 11 991, with about 4.0 people in each.

85.2% of households in Tswelopele lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.
  • Formal dwelling85.2%

    12 613 households

  • Informal dwelling13.4%

    1 984 households

  • Traditional dwelling0.8%

    111 households

  • Other0.6%

    91 households

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), General housing information per municipality (1), Free State, page 22. 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

83.2% of households in Tswelopele had a flush toilet in 2022, and 80.9% cooked with electricity.
  • Water from a regional or local scheme84.9%

    12 558 households. 76.1% in 2011.

  • Flush toilet83.2%

    12 313 households. 81.2% in 2011.

  • No toilet2.7%

    393 households. 6.3% in 2011.

  • Electricity for cooking80.9%

    11 941 households. 87.8% in 2011.

  • Gas for cooking16.0%

    2 366 households. 2.3% 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), Free State, page 23. 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
Tswelopele56 896
Average per municipality in Free State156 022Tswelopele has 63.5% fewer people
Average per municipality in South Africa291 209Tswelopele has 80.5% fewer people
People per household
Tswelopele3.8
Average per municipality in Free State3.5Tswelopele has 0.3 more people per household
Average per municipality in South Africa3.9Tswelopele has 0.1 fewer people per household
Households in a formal dwelling
Tswelopele85.2%
Average per municipality in Free State87.9%Tswelopele is 2.7 pts lower
Average per municipality in South Africa87.0%Tswelopele is 1.8 pts lower
Water from a regional or local scheme
Tswelopele84.9%
Average per municipality in Free State89.0%Tswelopele is 4.1 pts lower
Average per municipality in South Africa74.3%Tswelopele is 10.6 pts higher
Households with a flush toilet
Tswelopele83.2%
Average per municipality in Free State82.0%Tswelopele is 1.2 pts higher
Average per municipality in South Africa62.0%Tswelopele is 21.2 pts higher
Electricity for cooking
Tswelopele80.9%
Average per municipality in Free State76.9%Tswelopele is 4.0 pts higher
Average per municipality in South Africa66.0%Tswelopele is 14.9 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).

  • 85.2% of households lived in a formal dwelling, 2.7 pts below the average per municipality in Free State.

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Free State, page 20; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Free State, page 21; General housing information per municipality (1), Free State, page 22; General housing information per municipality (2), Free State, page 23. 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 Free State whose Census 2022 population is closest to Tswelopele's (56 896). 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 Tswelopele: Person indicators per municipality, Free State, page 20; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Free State, page 21; General housing information per municipality (1), Free State, page 22; General housing information per municipality (2), Free State, page 23. 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.