Municipality profile, KZN275

Mtubatuba

Mtubatuba is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. Census 2022 counted 215 869 people in 35 421 households, about 6.1 people per household. That is up 23.1% from 175 425 people in Census 2011. 92.8% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 29.8% had a flush toilet. It has the 14th largest population of the 44 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.

KwaZulu-Natal. Category B3 in the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework.

People counted in Census 2022

215 869

Up 23.1% from 175 425 people in Census 2011.

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, page 25. 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

Mtubatuba: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure	2011	2022	Change
Population	175 425	215 869	+23.1%
Households	34 905	35 421	+1.5%
People per household	5.0	6.1	+1.1
Males per 100 females	86.4	87.8	+1.4
Aged 0 to 14	39.4%	33.7%	-5.7 pts
Aged 15 to 34	36.9%	34.6%	-2.3 pts
Aged 60 and over	6.3%	7.7%	+1.4 pts
Households in a formal dwelling	80.5%	92.8%	+12.3 pts
Households in an informal dwelling	4.0%	1.8%	-2.2 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme	43.6%	49.2%	+5.6 pts
Households with a flush toilet	20.2%	29.8%	+9.6 pts
Households with no toilet	18.5%	3.9%	-14.6 pts
Households cooking with electricity	55.7%	74.8%	+19.1 pts
Households cooking with gas	6.0%	16.6%	+10.6 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)	62 971	62 894	-0.1%

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, KwaZulu-Natal, page 25; Distribution of population by broad age groups, KwaZulu-Natal, page 27; General housing information per municipality (1), KwaZulu-Natal, page 29; General housing information per municipality (2), KwaZulu-Natal, page 31. 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: 100 941
Females: 114 928
Males per 100 females: 87.8
Attending school (ages 5 to 24): 62 894

The largest age group in Mtubatuba in 2022 was aged 15 to 34, at 34.6% of people.

Aged 0 to 1433.7%
39.4% in 2011
Aged 15 to 3434.6%
36.9% in 2011
Aged 35 to 5924.0%
17.4% in 2011
Aged 60 and over7.7%
6.3% in 2011

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, page 25; Distribution of population by broad age groups, KwaZulu-Natal, page 27. 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 35 421 households, with about 6.1 people in each. In 2011 there were 34 905, with about 5.0 people in each.

92.8% of households in Mtubatuba lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.

Formal dwelling92.8%
32 884 households
Informal dwelling1.8%
651 households
Traditional dwelling5.0%
1 758 households
Other0.4%
128 households

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), General housing information per municipality (1), KwaZulu-Natal, page 29. 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

29.8% of households in Mtubatuba had a flush toilet in 2022, and 74.8% cooked with electricity.

Water from a regional or local scheme49.2%
17 410 households. 43.6% in 2011.
Flush toilet29.8%
10 561 households. 20.2% in 2011.
No toilet3.9%
1 365 households. 18.5% in 2011.
Electricity for cooking74.8%
26 419 households. 55.7% in 2011.
Gas for cooking16.6%
5 858 households. 6.0% 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), KwaZulu-Natal, page 31. 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: Mtubatuba215 869; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal282 362Mtubatuba has 23.5% fewer people; Average per municipality in South Africa291 209Mtubatuba has 25.9% fewer people
People per household: Mtubatuba6.1; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal5.0Mtubatuba has 1.1 more people per household; Average per municipality in South Africa3.9Mtubatuba has 2.2 more people per household
Households in a formal dwelling: Mtubatuba92.8%; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal81.7%Mtubatuba is 11.1 pts higher; Average per municipality in South Africa87.0%Mtubatuba is 5.8 pts higher
Water from a regional or local scheme: Mtubatuba49.2%; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal60.4%Mtubatuba is 11.2 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa74.3%Mtubatuba is 25.1 pts lower
Households with a flush toilet: Mtubatuba29.8%; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal38.4%Mtubatuba is 8.6 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa62.0%Mtubatuba is 32.2 pts lower
Electricity for cooking: Mtubatuba74.8%; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal67.0%Mtubatuba is 7.8 pts higher; Average per municipality in South Africa66.0%Mtubatuba is 8.8 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).

92.8% of households lived in a formal dwelling, 11.1 pts above the average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.
29.8% of households had a flush toilet, 8.6 pts below the average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.

Similar municipalities

The 4 other municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal whose Census 2022 population is closest to Mtubatuba's (215 869). 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 Mtubatuba: Person indicators per municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, page 25; Distribution of population by broad age groups, KwaZulu-Natal, page 27; General housing information per municipality (1), KwaZulu-Natal, page 29; General housing information per municipality (2), KwaZulu-Natal, page 31. 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.