Municipality profile, WC045

Oudtshoorn

Oudtshoorn is a local municipality in Western Cape. Census 2022 counted 138 257 people in 31 795 households, about 4.3 people per household. That is up 44.1% from 95 933 people in Census 2011. 89.5% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 88.5% had a flush toilet. It has the 10th largest population of the 25 municipalities in Western Cape.

Western Cape. Category B2 in the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework.

People counted in Census 2022

138 257

Up 44.1% from 95 933 people in Census 2011.

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Western Cape, page 6. 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

Oudtshoorn: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure	2011	2022	Change
Population	95 933	138 257	+44.1%
Households	21 910	31 795	+45.1%
People per household	4.4	4.3	-0.1
Males per 100 females	91.8	91.3	-0.5
Aged 0 to 14	28.7%	25.2%	-3.5 pts
Aged 15 to 34	31.8%	32.8%	+1.0 pts
Aged 60 and over	10.6%	12.1%	+1.5 pts
Households in a formal dwelling	88.5%	89.5%	+1.0 pts
Households in an informal dwelling	10.0%	8.5%	-1.5 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme	89.7%	96.0%	+6.3 pts
Households with a flush toilet	80.4%	88.5%	+8.1 pts
Households with no toilet	3.4%	2.4%	-1.0 pts
Households cooking with electricity	78.1%	64.5%	-13.6 pts
Households cooking with gas	7.8%	29.4%	+21.6 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)	23 328	28 119	+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, Western Cape, page 6; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Western Cape, page 7; General housing information per municipality (1), Western Cape, page 8; General housing information per municipality (2), Western Cape, page 9. 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: 65 968
Females: 72 289
Males per 100 females: 91.3
Attending school (ages 5 to 24): 28 119

The largest age group in Oudtshoorn in 2022 was aged 15 to 34, at 32.8% of people.

Aged 0 to 1425.2%
28.7% in 2011
Aged 15 to 3432.8%
31.8% in 2011
Aged 35 to 5930.0%
28.9% in 2011
Aged 60 and over12.1%
10.6% in 2011

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), Person indicators per municipality, Western Cape, page 6; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Western Cape, page 7. 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 31 795 households, with about 4.3 people in each. In 2011 there were 21 910, with about 4.4 people in each.

89.5% of households in Oudtshoorn lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.

Formal dwelling89.5%
28 467 households
Informal dwelling8.5%
2 697 households
Traditional dwelling1.7%
551 households
Other0.3%
81 households

Source: Stats SA, Census 2022 Provinces at a glance (Report no. 03-01-43), General housing information per municipality (1), Western Cape, page 8. 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

88.5% of households in Oudtshoorn had a flush toilet in 2022, and 64.5% cooked with electricity.

Water from a regional or local scheme96.0%
30 509 households. 89.7% in 2011.
Flush toilet88.5%
28 150 households. 80.4% in 2011.
No toilet2.4%
762 households. 3.4% in 2011.
Electricity for cooking64.5%
20 463 households. 78.1% in 2011.
Gas for cooking29.4%
9 320 households. 7.8% 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), Western Cape, page 9. 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: Oudtshoorn138 257; Average per municipality in Western Cape297 321Oudtshoorn has 53.5% fewer people; Average per municipality in South Africa291 209Oudtshoorn has 52.5% fewer people
People per household: Oudtshoorn4.3; Average per municipality in Western Cape3.3Oudtshoorn has 1.0 more people per household; Average per municipality in South Africa3.9Oudtshoorn has 0.4 more people per household
Households in a formal dwelling: Oudtshoorn89.5%; Average per municipality in Western Cape89.7%Oudtshoorn is 0.2 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa87.0%Oudtshoorn is 2.5 pts higher
Water from a regional or local scheme: Oudtshoorn96.0%; Average per municipality in Western Cape91.9%Oudtshoorn is 4.1 pts higher; Average per municipality in South Africa74.3%Oudtshoorn is 21.7 pts higher
Households with a flush toilet: Oudtshoorn88.5%; Average per municipality in Western Cape94.5%Oudtshoorn is 6.0 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa62.0%Oudtshoorn is 26.5 pts higher
Electricity for cooking: Oudtshoorn64.5%; Average per municipality in Western Cape65.9%Oudtshoorn is 1.4 pts lower; Average per municipality in South Africa66.0%Oudtshoorn is 1.5 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).

88.5% of households had a flush toilet, 6.0 pts below the average per municipality in Western Cape.

Similar municipalities

The 4 other municipalities in Western Cape whose Census 2022 population is closest to Oudtshoorn's (138 257). 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 Oudtshoorn: Person indicators per municipality, Western Cape, page 6; Distribution of population by broad age groups, Western Cape, page 7; General housing information per municipality (1), Western Cape, page 8; General housing information per municipality (2), Western Cape, page 9. 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.