Data series, Population
Population, mid-year estimate
63.5 million people2026. Up from 62.8 million in 2025.
Series id population-total. This page and its downloads keep the same address when new figures are added.
South Africa's estimated mid-year (30 June) population for 2026 is 63,522,380 according to Stats SA's Mid-Year Population Estimates, an increase of 759,980 on 2025. Annual growth is about 1.2%. Stats SA notes each release revises the whole 2002–2026 series, so figures should not be compared with earlier publications. The 2022 Census counted 62.0 million; mid-year estimates and Census counts are different measures.
Source: Statistics South Africa, Mid-year population estimates 2026. Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub . Original data: Stats SA. Any calculation shown is SA Data Hub's own processing.
Show the numbers as a table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 55.2 million |
| 2016 | 56.0 million |
| 2017 | 56.8 million |
| 2018 | 57.6 million |
| 2019 | 58.5 million |
| 2020 | 59.3 million |
| 2021 | 59.9 million |
| 2022 | 60.5 million |
| 2023 | 61.2 million |
| 2024 | 62.0 million |
| 2025 | 62.8 million |
| 2026 | 63.5 million |
Note: Values for 2015 to 2024 are approximations calculated by SA Data Hub from the annual growth rates in the 2026 release. They are not published Stats SA totals. The 2026 value is published; 2025 is that value minus the increase stated in the release.
Every value
Some of these values are calculated, not published. See the note above.
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 63.5 million |
| 2025 | 62.8 million |
| 2024 | 62.0 million |
| 2023 | 61.2 million |
| 2022 | 60.5 million |
| 2021 | 59.9 million |
| 2020 | 59.3 million |
| 2019 | 58.5 million |
| 2018 | 57.6 million |
| 2017 | 56.8 million |
| 2016 | 56.0 million |
| 2015 | 55.2 million |
Changes to this series
No revisions by the publisher have been recorded for this series. SA Data Hub started recording them on 7 November 2026; earlier revisions are not listed.
SA Data Hub's update log for this dataset
, data update
Updated to MYPE 2026 (63,522,380, mid-2026). Urban share (63.7%) and median age (28.0) unchanged (Census 2022, no newer comparable measure). Series points 2015–2024 are derived back-casts from growth rates, ±≈0.03M; replace with Stats SA published Excel series when available.
, data update
Population indicators aligned with latest mid-year population estimates publication.
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You may reuse this series under CC BY 4.0. Credit Statistics South Africa as the original source and SA Data Hub as the place you got it.
Cite this series
Statistics South Africa (2026). Mid-year population estimates 2026. Series "Population, mid-year estimate" via SA Data Hub, https://sadatahub.tech/series/population-total (checked 2026-10-19).
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