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Municipality profile, WC047

Bitou

Bitou is a local municipality in Western Cape. Census 2022 counted 65 240 people in 21 848 households, about 3.0 people per household. That is up 32.7% from 49 162 people in Census 2011. 85.4% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 97.3% had a flush toilet. It has the 19th largest population of the 25 municipalities in Western Cape.

Western Cape. Category B3 in the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Framework.

People counted in Census 2022

65 240

Up 32.7% from 49 162 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 , 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

Bitou: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure20112022Change
Population49 16265 240+32.7%
Households16 64521 848+31.3%
People per household3.03.00.0
Males per 100 females99.194.2-4.9
Aged 0 to 1425.2%22.5%-2.7 pts
Aged 15 to 3435.6%32.3%-3.3 pts
Aged 60 and over9.3%12.2%+2.9 pts
Households in a formal dwelling72.2%85.4%+13.2 pts
Households in an informal dwelling24.4%14.0%-10.4 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme87.2%96.3%+9.1 pts
Households with a flush toilet84.0%97.3%+13.3 pts
Households with no toilet2.5%0.4%-2.1 pts
Households cooking with electricity84.9%68.5%-16.4 pts
Households cooking with gas9.7%30.8%+21.1 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)9 49112 640+33.2%

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 , 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
31 650
Females
33 589
Males per 100 females
94.2
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)
12 640
The largest age group in Bitou in 2022 was aged 35 to 59, at 33.0% of people.
  • Aged 0 to 1422.5%

    25.2% in 2011

  • Aged 15 to 3432.3%

    35.6% in 2011

  • Aged 35 to 5933.0%

    30.0% in 2011

  • Aged 60 and over12.2%

    9.3% 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 , 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 21 848 households, with about 3.0 people in each. In 2011 there were 16 645, with about 3.0 people in each.

85.4% of households in Bitou lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.
  • Formal dwelling85.4%

    18 651 households

  • Informal dwelling14.0%

    3 049 households

  • Traditional dwelling0.4%

    98 households

  • Other0.2%

    50 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 , 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

97.3% of households in Bitou had a flush toilet in 2022, and 68.5% cooked with electricity.
  • Water from a regional or local scheme96.3%

    21 045 households. 87.2% in 2011.

  • Flush toilet97.3%

    21 262 households. 84.0% in 2011.

  • No toilet0.4%

    78 households. 2.5% in 2011.

  • Electricity for cooking68.5%

    14 954 households. 84.9% in 2011.

  • Gas for cooking30.8%

    6 725 households. 9.7% 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 , 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
Bitou65 240
Average per municipality in Western Cape297 321Bitou has 78.1% fewer people
Average per municipality in South Africa291 209Bitou has 77.6% fewer people
People per household
Bitou3.0
Average per municipality in Western Cape3.3Bitou has 0.3 fewer people per household
Average per municipality in South Africa3.9Bitou has 0.9 fewer people per household
Households in a formal dwelling
Bitou85.4%
Average per municipality in Western Cape89.7%Bitou is 4.3 pts lower
Average per municipality in South Africa87.0%Bitou is 1.6 pts lower
Water from a regional or local scheme
Bitou96.3%
Average per municipality in Western Cape91.9%Bitou is 4.4 pts higher
Average per municipality in South Africa74.3%Bitou is 22.0 pts higher
Households with a flush toilet
Bitou97.3%
Average per municipality in Western Cape94.5%Bitou is 2.8 pts higher
Average per municipality in South Africa62.0%Bitou is 35.3 pts higher
Electricity for cooking
Bitou68.5%
Average per municipality in Western Cape65.9%Bitou is 2.6 pts higher
Average per municipality in South Africa66.0%Bitou is 2.5 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).

  • 85.4% of households lived in a formal dwelling, 4.3 pts below the average per municipality in Western Cape.

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 , 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 Western Cape whose Census 2022 population is closest to Bitou's (65 240). 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 Bitou: 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.