Municipality profile, KZN281

Mfolozi

Mfolozi is a local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. Census 2022 counted 159 668 people in 28 517 households, about 5.6 people per household. That is up 27.1% from 125 669 people in Census 2011. 88.7% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 26.0% had a flush toilet. It has the 21st largest population of the 44 municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.

KwaZulu-Natal. Category B4 in the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework.

People counted in Census 2022

159 668

Up 27.1% from 125 669 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

Mfolozi: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure	2011	2022	Change
Population	125 669	159 668	+27.1%
Households	25 184	28 517	+13.2%
People per household	5.0	5.6	+0.6
Males per 100 females	91.7	92.9	+1.2
Aged 0 to 14	36.5%	30.9%	-5.6 pts
Aged 15 to 34	38.2%	36.2%	-2.0 pts
Aged 60 and over	6.7%	7.9%	+1.2 pts
Households in a formal dwelling	70.6%	88.7%	+18.1 pts
Households in an informal dwelling	3.4%	2.0%	-1.4 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme	61.6%	56.1%	-5.5 pts
Households with a flush toilet	9.3%	26.0%	+16.7 pts
Households with no toilet	12.5%	2.7%	-9.8 pts
Households cooking with electricity	62.1%	78.1%	+16.0 pts
Households cooking with gas	3.3%	14.3%	+11.0 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)	41 722	43 435	+4.1%

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: 76 886
Females: 82 782
Males per 100 females: 92.9
Attending school (ages 5 to 24): 43 435

The largest age group in Mfolozi in 2022 was aged 15 to 34, at 36.2% of people.

Aged 0 to 1430.9%
36.5% in 2011
Aged 15 to 3436.2%
38.2% in 2011
Aged 35 to 5925.0%
18.6% in 2011
Aged 60 and over7.9%
6.7% 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 28 517 households, with about 5.6 people in each. In 2011 there were 25 184, with about 5.0 people in each.

88.7% of households in Mfolozi lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.

Formal dwelling88.7%
25 288 households
Informal dwelling2.0%
578 households
Traditional dwelling9.1%
2 594 households
Other0.2%
57 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

26.0% of households in Mfolozi had a flush toilet in 2022, and 78.1% cooked with electricity.

Water from a regional or local scheme56.1%
16 005 households. 61.6% in 2011.
Flush toilet26.0%
7 428 households. 9.3% in 2011.
No toilet2.7%
764 households. 12.5% in 2011.
Electricity for cooking78.1%
22 197 households. 62.1% in 2011.
Gas for cooking14.3%
4 072 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), 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: Mfolozi159 668; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal282 362Mfolozi has 43.5% fewer people; Average per municipality in South Africa291 209Mfolozi has 45.2% fewer people
People per household: Mfolozi5.6; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal5.0Mfolozi has 0.6 more people per household; Average per municipality in South Africa3.9Mfolozi has 1.7 more people per household
Households in a formal dwelling: Mfolozi88.7%; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal81.7%Mfolozi is 7.0 pts higher; Average per municipality in South Africa87.0%Mfolozi is 1.7 pts higher
Water from a regional or local scheme: Mfolozi56.1%; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal60.4%Mfolozi is 4.3 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa74.3%Mfolozi is 18.2 pts lower
Households with a flush toilet: Mfolozi26.0%; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal38.4%Mfolozi is 12.4 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa62.0%Mfolozi is 36.0 pts lower
Electricity for cooking: Mfolozi78.1%; Average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal67.0%Mfolozi is 11.1 pts higher; Average per municipality in South Africa66.0%Mfolozi is 12.1 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).

88.7% of households lived in a formal dwelling, 7.0 pts above the average per municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.
26.0% of households had a flush toilet, 12.4 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 Mfolozi's (159 668). 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 Mfolozi: 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.