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Municipality profile, WC048

Knysna

Knysna is a local municipality in Western Cape. Census 2022 counted 96 055 people in 32 398 households, about 3.0 people per household. That is up 39.9% from 68 659 people in Census 2011. 83.7% of households lived in a formal dwelling and 90.6% had a flush toilet. It has the 13th largest population of the 25 municipalities in Western Cape.

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

People counted in Census 2022

96 055

Up 39.9% from 68 659 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

Knysna: Census 2011 and Census 2022 figures, with the change
Measure20112022Change
Population68 65996 055+39.9%
Households21 89332 398+48.0%
People per household3.13.0-0.1
Males per 100 females97.995.3-2.6
Aged 0 to 1424.8%20.9%-3.9 pts
Aged 15 to 3433.8%30.7%-3.1 pts
Aged 60 and over12.1%17.0%+4.9 pts
Households in a formal dwelling73.8%83.7%+9.9 pts
Households in an informal dwelling24.0%14.2%-9.8 pts
Households with water from a regional or local scheme91.2%95.5%+4.3 pts
Households with a flush toilet76.1%90.6%+14.5 pts
Households with no toilet5.8%1.4%-4.4 pts
Households cooking with electricity78.6%59.7%-18.9 pts
Households cooking with gas10.2%36.7%+26.5 pts
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)13 54417 588+29.9%

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
46 878
Females
49 177
Males per 100 females
95.3
Attending school (ages 5 to 24)
17 588
The largest age group in Knysna in 2022 was aged 35 to 59, at 31.4% of people.
  • Aged 0 to 1420.9%

    24.8% in 2011

  • Aged 15 to 3430.7%

    33.8% in 2011

  • Aged 35 to 5931.4%

    29.3% in 2011

  • Aged 60 and over17.0%

    12.1% 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 32 398 households, with about 3.0 people in each. In 2011 there were 21 893, with about 3.1 people in each.

83.7% of households in Knysna lived in a formal dwelling in 2022.
  • Formal dwelling83.7%

    27 127 households

  • Informal dwelling14.2%

    4 611 households

  • Traditional dwelling1.8%

    568 households

  • Other0.3%

    91 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

90.6% of households in Knysna had a flush toilet in 2022, and 59.7% cooked with electricity.
  • Water from a regional or local scheme95.5%

    30 946 households. 91.2% in 2011.

  • Flush toilet90.6%

    29 344 households. 76.1% in 2011.

  • No toilet1.4%

    450 households. 5.8% in 2011.

  • Electricity for cooking59.7%

    19 267 households. 78.6% in 2011.

  • Gas for cooking36.7%

    11 852 households. 10.2% 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
Knysna96 055
Average per municipality in Western Cape297 321Knysna has 67.7% fewer people
Average per municipality in South Africa291 209Knysna has 67.0% fewer people
People per household
Knysna3.0
Average per municipality in Western Cape3.3Knysna has 0.3 fewer people per household
Average per municipality in South Africa3.9Knysna has 0.9 fewer people per household
Households in a formal dwelling
Knysna83.7%
Average per municipality in Western Cape89.7%Knysna is 6.0 pts lower
Average per municipality in South Africa87.0%Knysna is 3.3 pts lower
Water from a regional or local scheme
Knysna95.5%
Average per municipality in Western Cape91.9%Knysna is 3.6 pts higher
Average per municipality in South Africa74.3%Knysna is 21.2 pts higher
Households with a flush toilet
Knysna90.6%
Average per municipality in Western Cape94.5%Knysna is 3.9 pts lower
Average per municipality in South Africa62.0%Knysna is 28.6 pts higher
Electricity for cooking
Knysna59.7%
Average per municipality in Western Cape65.9%Knysna is 6.2 pts lower
Average per municipality in South Africa66.0%Knysna is 6.3 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).

  • 83.7% of households lived in a formal dwelling, 6.0 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 Knysna's (96 055). 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 Knysna: 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.