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Municipality profile, MP326

City of Mbombela

City of Mbombela is a local municipality in Mpumalanga. Census 2022 counted 809 674 people in 212 397 households, about 3.8 people per household. That is up 22.9% from 658 604 people in Census 2011. 96.4% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 45.5% had a flush toilet. It has the largest population of the 17 municipalities in Mpumalanga.

Mpumalanga. Category B1 in the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework.

People counted in Census 2022

809 674

Up 22.9% from 658 604 people in Census 2011.

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Mpumalanga, page 40. 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

City of Mbombela: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure20112022Change
Population658 604809 674+22.9%
Households181 966212 397+16.7%
People per household3.63.8+0.2
Males per 100 females95.793.3-2.4
Aged 0 to 1429.6%28.0%-1.6 pts
Aged 15 to 3440.1%36.2%-3.9 pts
Aged 60 and over6.3%7.2%+0.9 pts
Households in a formal dwelling91.6%96.4%+4.8 pts
Households in an informal dwelling5.6%1.9%-3.7 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme63.7%63.8%+0.1 pts
Households with a flush toilet35.7%45.5%+9.8 pts
Households with no toilet6.9%1.5%-5.4 pts
Households cooking with electricity82.4%82.3%-0.1 pts
Households cooking with gas2.9%15.3%+12.4 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)185 108193 116+4.3%

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, Mpumalanga, page 40; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Mpumalanga, page 41; General housing information per municipality (1), Mpumalanga, page 42; General housing information per municipality (2), Mpumalanga, page 43. 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
390 782
Females
418 892
Males per 100 females
93.3
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)
193 116
The largest age group in City of Mbombela in 2022 was aged 15 to 34, at 36.2% of people.
  • Aged 0 to 1428.0%

    29.6% in 2011

  • Aged 15 to 3436.2%

    40.1% in 2011

  • Aged 35 to 5928.7%

    24.0% in 2011

  • Aged 60 and over7.2%

    6.3% in 2011

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Mpumalanga, page 40; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Mpumalanga, page 41. 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 212 397 households, with about 3.8 people in each. In 2011 there were 181 966, with about 3.6 people in each.

96.4% of households in City of Mbombela lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.
  • Formal dwelling96.4%

    204 783 households

  • Informal dwelling1.9%

    4 119 households

  • Traditional dwelling1.3%

    2 724 households

  • Other0.4%

    771 households

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), General housing information per municipality (1), Mpumalanga, page 42. 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

45.5% of households in City of Mbombela had a flush toilet in 2022, and 82.3% cooked with electricity.
  • Water from a regional or local scheme63.8%

    135 490 households. 63.7% in 2011.

  • Flush toilet45.5%

    96 537 households. 35.7% in 2011.

  • No toilet1.5%

    3 112 households. 6.9% in 2011.

  • Electricity for cooking82.3%

    174 307 households. 82.4% in 2011.

  • Gas for cooking15.3%

    32 413 households. 2.9% 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), Mpumalanga, page 43. 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
City of Mbombela809 674
Average per municipality in Mpumalanga302 549City of Mbombela has 167.6% more people
Average per municipality in South Africa291 209City of Mbombela has 178.0% more people
People per household
City of Mbombela3.8
Average per municipality in Mpumalanga3.4City of Mbombela has 0.4 more people per household
Average per municipality in South Africa3.9City of Mbombela has 0.1 fewer people per household
Households in a formal dwelling
City of Mbombela96.4%
Average per municipality in Mpumalanga90.7%City of Mbombela is 5.7 pts higher
Average per municipality in South Africa87.0%City of Mbombela is 9.4 pts higher
Water from a regional or local scheme
City of Mbombela63.8%
Average per municipality in Mpumalanga80.6%City of Mbombela is 16.8 pts lower
Average per municipality in South Africa74.3%City of Mbombela is 10.5 pts lower
Households with a flush toilet
City of Mbombela45.5%
Average per municipality in Mpumalanga64.1%City of Mbombela is 18.6 pts lower
Average per municipality in South Africa62.0%City of Mbombela is 16.5 pts lower
Electricity for cooking
City of Mbombela82.3%
Average per municipality in Mpumalanga63.7%City of Mbombela is 18.6 pts higher
Average per municipality in South Africa66.0%City of Mbombela is 16.3 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).

  • 96.4% of households lived in a formal dwelling, 5.7 pts above the average per municipality in Mpumalanga.
  • 45.5% of households had a flush toilet, 18.6 pts below the average per municipality in Mpumalanga.

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Mpumalanga, page 40; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Mpumalanga, page 41; General housing information per municipality (1), Mpumalanga, page 42; General housing information per municipality (2), Mpumalanga, page 43. 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 Mpumalanga whose Census 2022 population is closest to City of Mbombela's (809 674). 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 City of Mbombela: Person indicators per municipality, Mpumalanga, page 40; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Mpumalanga, page 41; General housing information per municipality (1), Mpumalanga, page 42; General housing information per municipality (2), Mpumalanga, page 43. SA Data Hub checked them against the publication on 28 October 2026.

The 2022 figures for City of Mbombela are the revised ones. Stats SA's erratum (page ii) says the population and households of Thaba Chweu and City of Mbombela were revised, and that pages 40 to 43 changed.

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.