Demographics of South Africa

Demographics of South Africa
Population of South Africa, 1961–2008
Population:	49,991,300 (July 2010 est.)
Growth rate:	-0.051%
Birth rate:	19.61 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
Death rate:	16.99 deaths/1,000 population (2010 est.)
Life expectancy:	49.2 yearsbouh (2010 est.)
–male:	50.08 years (2010 est.)
–female:	48.29 years (2010 est.)
Fertility rate:	2.33 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:	43.78 deaths/1,000
Age structure
0-14 years:	28.9% (male 7,093,328/female 7,061,579)
15-64 years:	65.8% (male 16,275,424/female 15,984,181)
65-over:	5.4% (male 1,075,117/female 1,562,860) (2010 est.)
Sex ratio
Total:	0.99 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
At birth:	1.02 male(s)/female
Under 15:	1 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	1.02 male(s)/female
65-over:	0.68 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality:	South African
Language
Official:	See Languages of South Africa

The demographics of South Africa encompasses about 50 million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religions. The last census was held in 2011 and the next will be taken anywhere from 2016-2021.

Even though the population of South Africa has increased in the past decade (primarily due to immigration), the country had an annual population growth rate of −0.051% in 2010 (CIA est.), where the birth rate is higher than the death rate but there is a net emigration rate. South Africa is home to an estimated 5 million illegal immigrants, including some 3 million Zimbabweans. A series of anti-immigrant riots occurred in South Africa beginning on 11 May 2008.

Population

Historical population, 1904 to 2011

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1904	5,175,463	—
1911	5,972,757	+15.4%
1921	6,927,403	+16.0%
1936	9,587,863	+38.4%
1946	11,415,925	+19.1%
1951	12,671,452	+11.0%
1960	15,994,181	+26.2%
1970	21,402,470	+33.8%
1996	40,585,568	+89.6%
2001	44,819,777	+10.4%
2007 (est.)	48,502,063	+8.2%
2011	51,770,560	+6.7%

U.N. population projections, 2010 to 2040

Population projections
Year	Pop.	±%
2010	50,725,000	—
2015	52,015,000	+2.5%
2020	52,971,000	+1.8%
2025	53,565,000	+1.1%
2030	53,809,000	+0.5%
2035	53,741,000	−0.1%
2040	53,288,000	−0.8%
Source: United Nations Secretariat

Age and population estimates, 1950 to 2010

According to the 2010 revision of the United Nations Secretariat's World Population Prospects, South Africa's total population was 50,133,000 in 2010, compared to only 13,683,000 in 1950. In 2010, 30.1% of the people were children under the age of 15, 65.2% were between 15 and 64 years of age, and 4.6% were 65 or older. All population estimates are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Year	Total population	Percentage under 15 years old	Percentage 15 to 64 years old	Percentage at least 65 years old
1950	13,683,000	38.6	57.8	3.6
1955	15,385,000	39.9	56.4	3.8
1960	17,396,000	40.9	55.2	3.9
1965	19,814,000	41.9	54.2	3.9
1970	22,502,000	42.1	54.5	3.4
1975	25,699,000	41.9	54.9	3.2
1980	29,077,000	41.5	55.3	3.1
1985	32,983,000	40.5	56.4	3.1
1990	36,794,000	38.9	57.9	3.2
1995	41,402,000	36.0	60.6	3.4
2000	44,760,000	33.7	62.6	3.7
2005	47,793,000	31.7	64.2	4.1
2010	50,133,000	30.1	65.2	4.6

Historical censuses

1904 Census

South African Population Figures for the 1904 Census. Source:

Colony	Cape Colony	Natal	Transvaal	Orange River Colony	Total	Percent
Black	1,424,787	904,041	937,127	225,101	3,491,056	67.5%
White	579,741	97,109	297,277	142,679	1,116,805	21.6%
Coloured	395,034	6,686	24,226	19,282	445,228	8.6%
Asiatic	10,242	100,918	11,321	253	122,734	2.4%
Total	2,409,804	1,108,754	1,269,951	387,315	5,175,463	100.0%
% of S. Africa	46.6%	21.4%	24.5%	7.5%	100%

1960 Census

Source: Europa Year Book 1969 Rounded to nearest thousand people.

Province	Cape of Good Hope	Natal	Transvaal	Orange Free State	Total	Percent
Bantu	3,011,000	2,200,000	4,633,000	1,084,000	10,928,000	68.3%
Whites	1,001,000	337,000	1,466,000	276,000	3,080,000	19.3%
Coloureds	1,330,000	45,000	108,000	26,000	1,509,000	9.4%
Asiatics	18,000	395,000	65,000	7	477,000	3.0%
Total	5,360,000	2,977,000	6,271,000	1,386,000	15,994,000	100.0%
% of S. Africa	33.5%	18.6%	39.2%	8.7%	100%

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events in South Africa has improved considerably during the past decade, but still not considered to be complete for black South Africans. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. (Natural increase or decrease over a time period is the difference between that period's live births and deaths, before accounting for inward or outward migration.)

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural Increase per year	Crude Birth Rate (per 1,000 per year)	Crude Death Rate (per 1,000 per year)	Natural Increase (per 1,000 per year)	Total Fertility Rate (over av'ge woman's life)	Infant Mortality Rate (per 100,000 live births)
1950-1955	629 000	295 000	+ 334 000	43.3	20.3	+ 23.0	6.50	96
1955-1960	697 000	297 000	+ 400 000	42.5	18.1	+ 24.4	6.50	91
1960-1965	774 000	310 000	+ 464 000	41.6	16.7	+ 25.0	6.30	87
1965-1970	808 000	312 000	+ 496 000	38.2	14.7	+ 23.5	5.70	84
1970-1975	909 000	317 000	+ 592 000	37.7	13.1	+ 24.6	5.47	77
1975-1980	980 000	319 000	+ 661 000	35.8	11.7	+ 24.1	5.00	71
1980-1985	1 052 000	307 000	+ 745 000	33.9	9.9	+ 24.0	4.56	61
1985-1990	1 086 000	299 000	+ 787 000	31.1	8.6	+ 22.5	4.00	53
1990-1995	1 073 000	332 000	+ 742 000	27.5	8.5	+ 19.0	3.34	51
1995-2000	1 082 000	450 000	+ 632 000	25.1	10.4	+ 14.7	2.95	56
2000-2005	1 111 000	645 000	+ 466 000	24.0	13.9	+ 10.1	2.80	59
2005-2010	1 074 000	746 000	+ 328 000	21.9	15.2	+  6.7	2.55	55
Total Fertility Rate = average number of children over a woman's lifetime; Infant Mortality Rate per 100,000 live births

Year	Live births	Deaths	Natural increase	Crude birth rate (per 1,000)	Crude death rate (per 1,000)	Natural increase (per 1,000)	Fertility rates (per woman)	Average population
2001	1 170 773	532 482	+ 638 291	26.1	11.9	+ 14.2	2.92	44 814 000
2002	1 167 622	577 444	+ 590 178	25.7	12.7	+ 13.0	2.86	45 246 000
2003	1 162 612	618 293	+ 544 319	25.2	13.4	+ 11.8	2.81	45 801 000
2004	1 153 924	652 868	+ 501 056	24.7	14.0	+ 10.7	2.75	46 345 000
2005	1 143 062	678 386	+ 464 676	24.2	14.4	+  9.8	2.69	46 892 000
2006	1 131 306	676 660	+ 454 646	23.7	14.2	+  9.5	2.64	47 391 000
2007	1 116 931	664 009	+ 452 922	23.1	13.8	+  9.3	2.58	47 851 000
2008	1 103 281	640 521	+ 462 760	22.6	13.1	+  9.5	2.52	48 687 000
2009	1 090 567	611 338	+ 479 229	22.1	12.4	+  9.7	2.47	49 320 000
2010	1 075 513	593 907	+ 481 606	21.5	11.9	+  9.6	2.41	49 991 000
2011	1 059 417	591 366	+ 468 051	21.0	11.7	+  9.3	2.35	50 586 757
2001-2010 population estimates rounded to the nearest thousand

Age and sex distribution

Population pyramid, 2005

Age group	Male	Female  %	Female	Total	% of S.A.
under 5	2,867,585	49.6%	2,817,867	5,685,452	11.0%
5 – 9	2,425,181	49.7%	2,394,570	4,819,751	9.3%
10 – 14	2,344,275	49.0%	2,250,611	4,594,886	8.9%
15 – 19	2,498,572	50.1%	2,504,905	5,003,477	9.7%
20 – 24	2,694,646	49.9%	2,679,896	5,374,542	10.4%
25 – 29	2,542,682	49.7%	2,516,635	5,059,317	9.8%
30 – 34	2,036,206	49.5%	1,992,804	4,029,010	7.8%
35 – 39	1,709,347	50.7%	1,758,420	3,467,767	6.7%
40 – 44	1,402,328	52.4%	1,546,291	2,948,619	5.7%
45 – 49	1,195,740	54.4%	1,424,543	2,620,283	5.1%
50 – 54	1,011,349	54.4%	1,206,940	2,218,289	4.3%
55 – 59	811,950	54.8%	985,458	1,797,408	3.5%
60 – 64	612,364	55.8%	773,404	1,385,768	2.7%
65 – 69	401,548	58.1%	556,256	957,804	1.9%
70 – 74	293,498	60.8%	454,832	748,330	1.4%
75 – 79	165,283	65.7%	315,984	481,267	0.9%
80 – 84	100,694	68.8%	222,222	322,916	0.6%
85-plus	75,543	70.5%	180,130	255,673	0.5%
TOTAL	25,188,791	51.3%	26,581,769	51,770,560	100%

Number of children 0-14	Number of women 15-49	Proportion	Fertility Rate
15.812.264	13.866.489	1,14	2,35

Age group	Population	Male	Female	Percent
0-14	15.812.268	7.969.880	7.842.388	31,26
15-64	32.235.534	15.538.934	16.696.600	63,72
65+	2.538.955	1.006.222	1.532.733	5,02

Age and race distribution (2011 census)

Age distribution within each racial group

By generation

Age group	All races	% of All	Black African	% of Blacks	Coloured	% of Col'd	White	% of Whites	Indian or Asian	% of Asians	Others	% of others
0–14	15,100,089	29.2%	12,702,324	31.0%	1,311,811	28.4%	771,187	16.8%	258,602	20.1%	56,164	20.0%
15-64	33,904,479	65.5%	26,502,329	64.6%	3,085,684	66.9%	3,165,965	68.9%	939,379	73.0%	211,126	75.3%
65-plus	2,765,992	5.3%	1,796,285	4.4%	217,906	4.7%	649,686	14.2%	88,949	6.9%	13,164	4.7%
All ages	51,770,560	100%	41,000,938	(100%)	4,615,401	(100%)	4,586,838	(100%)	1,286,930	(100%)	280,454	(100%)
% of SA	100%		79.20%		8.92%		8.86%		2.49%		0.54%

By five-year cohorts

Age group	All races	% of All	Black African	% of Blacks	Coloured	% of Col'd	White	% of Whites	Indian or Asian	% of Asians	Others	% of others
under 5	5,685,452	11.0%	4,830,442	11.8%	470,090	10.2%	268,267	5.8%	90,795	7.1%	25,857	9.2%
5 to 9	4,819,751	9.3%	4,054,019	9.9%	421,038	9.1%	245,567	5.4%	82,584	6.4%	16,543	5.9%
10 to 14	4,594,886	8.9%	3,817,863	9.3%	420,683	9.1%	257,353	5.6%	85,223	6.6%	13,764	4.9%
15 to 19	5,003,477	9.7%	4,171,450	10.2%	431,263	9.3%	284,896	6.2%	98,556	7.7%	17,312	6.2%
20 to 24	5,374,542	10.4%	4,479,848	10.9%	428,159	9.3%	313,616	6.8%	115,949	9.0%	36,970	13.2%
25 to 29	5,059,317	9.8%	4,156,759	10.1%	385,750	8.4%	336,355	7.3%	125,521	9.8%	44,932	16.0%
30 to 34	4,029,010	7.8%	3,237,677	7.9%	326,803	7.1%	318,329	6.9%	113,398	8.8%	32,802	11.7%
35 to 39	3,467,767	6.7%	2,674,154	6.5%	319,231	6.9%	342,316	7.5%	108,120	8.4%	23,945	8.5%
40 to 44	2,948,618	5.7%	2,164,738	5.3%	319,279	6.9%	351,473	7.7%	95,904	7.5%	17,225	6.1%
45 to 49	2,620,283	5.1%	1,902,133	4.6%	294,467	6.4%	325,185	7.1%	85,621	6.7%	12,877	4.6%
50 to 54	2,218,289	4.3%	1,559,926	3.8%	247,535	5.4%	324,539	7.1%	75,783	5.9%	10,506	3.7%
55 to 59	1,797,408	3.5%	1,242,201	3.0%	186,148	4.0%	295,596	6.4%	65,332	5.1%	8,132	2.9%
60 to 64	1,385,768	2.7%	913,441	2.2%	137,050	3.0%	273,657	6.0%	55,194	4.3%	6,425	2.3%
65 to 69	957,805	1.9%	601,060	1.5%	86,285	1.9%	227,308	5.0%	38,277	3.0%	4,875	1.7%
70 to 74	748,331	1.4%	485,852	1.2%	60,311	1.3%	173,434	3.8%	25,084	1.9%	3,649	1.3%
75 to 79	481,267	0.9%	310,708	0.8%	37,441	0.8%	116,922	2.5%	13,954	1.1%	2,242	0.8%
80 to 84	322,916	0.6%	218,145	0.5%	19,278	0.4%	77,073	1.7%	7,155	0.6%	1,265	0.5%
85-plus	255,673	0.5%	180,520	0.4%	14,591	0.3%	54,949	1.2%	4,479	0.3%	1,133	0.4%
All ages	51,770,560	100%	41,000,938	(100%)	4,615,401	(100%)	4,586,838	(100%)	1,286,930	(100%)	280,454	(100%)
% of SA	100%		79.20%		8.92%		8.86%		2.49%		0.54%

Racial group	Number of children 0-14	Number of women 15-49	Proportion	Fertility Rate
All races	15.100.089	14.423.494	1,047	2,16(?)
Black African	12.702.324	11.554.554	1,099	2,27(?)
Coloured	1.311.811	1.297.420	1,011	2,09(?)
White	771.187	1.149.718	0,6708	1,38(?)
Indian or Asian	258.602	358.269	0,7218	1,49(?)
Other	56.164	63.535	0,8840	1,82(?)

Racial composition of each age group

Note that while over one-fifth (20%) of each age group over 65 is white, whites form less than one-twentieth (5%) of South Africans under 5 years of age. Similarly, while the Coloured population is now about equal to the white population (about 4.6 million each or 8.9% of the total), the nearly 2.9 million Coloured under 35 outnumber just over 2 million whites under 35 in every age group below 35, but the 1.7 million Coloured over 35 are less numerous than their 2.5 million white contemporaries in every age group above 35.

Age group	All races	Black African	% of age grp	Coloured	% of age grp	White	% of age grp	Indian or Asian	% of age grp	Other	% of age grp
under 5	5,685,452	4,830,442	85.0%	470,090	8.3%	268,267	4.7%	90,795	1.6%	25,857	0.5%
5 to 9	4,819,751	4,054,019	84.1%	421,038	8.7%	245,567	5.1%	82,584	1.7%	16,543	0.5%
10 to 14	4,594,886	3,817,863	83.1%	420,683	9,1%	257,353	5.6%	85,223	1.9%	13,764	0.3%
15 to 19	5,003,477	4,171,450	83.4%	431,263	8.6%	284,896	5.7%	98,556	2.0%	17,312	0.3%
20 to 24	5,374,542	4,479,848	83.4%	428,159	8.0%	313,616	5.8%	115,949	2.2%	36,970	0.7%
25 to 29	5,059,317	4,156,759	82.2%	385,750	7.6%	336,355	6.6%	125,521	2.5%	44,932	0.9%
30 to 34	4,029,010	3,237,677	80.4%	326,803	8.1%	318,329	7.9%	113,398	2.8%	32,802	0.8%
35 to 39	3,467,767	2,674,154	77.1%	319,231	9.2%	342,316	9.9%	108,120	3.1%	23,945	0.7%
40 to 44	2,948,618	2,164,738	73.4%	319,279	10.8%	351,473	11.9%	95,904	3.3%	17,225	0.6%
45 to 49	2,620,283	1,902,133	72.6%	294,467	11.2%	325,185	12.4%	85,621	3.3%	12,877	0.5%
50 to 54	2,218,289	1,559,926	70.3%	247,535	11.2%	324,539	14.6%	75,783	3.4%	10,506	0.5%
55 to 59	1,797,408	1,242,201	69.1%	186,148	10.4%	295,596	16.4%	65,332	3.6%	8,132	0.5%
60 to 64	1,385,768	913,441	65.9%	137,050	9.9%	273,657	19.7%	55,194	4.0%	6,425	0.5%
65 to 69	957,805	601,060	62.8%	86,285	9.0%	227,308	23.7%	38,277	4.0%	4,875	0.5%
70 to 74	748,331	485,852	64.9%	60,311	8.1%	173,434	23.2%	25,084	3.4%	3,649	0.5%
75 to 79	481,267	310,708	64.6%	37,441	7.8%	116,922	24.3%	13,954	2.9%	2,242	0.5%
80 to 84	322,916	218,145	67.6%	19,278	6.0%	77,073	23.9%	7,155	2.2%	1,265	0.4%
85-plus	255,673	180,520	70.6%	14,591	5.7%	54,949	21.5%	4,479	1.8%	1,133	0.4%
All ages	51,770,560	41,000,938	79.20%	4,615,401	8.92%	4,586,838	8.86%	1,286,930	2.49%	280,454	0.54%

Racial groups

Population density in South Africa

Dominant population groups in South Africa.

  Black African

  Coloured

  Indian or Asian

  White

  None dominant

Statistics South Africa provided five racial categories by which people could classify themselves, the last of which, "unspecified/other" drew negligible responses, and these results were omitted. The 2010 midyear estimated figures for the other categories were Black African at 79.4%, White at 9.2%, Coloured at 8.8%, and Indian or Asian at 2.6%. The first census in South Africa in 1911 showed that whites made up 22% of the population; it declined to 16% in 1980.

Blacks

See also: Bantu peoples

By far the major part of the population classified itself as African or black, but it is not culturally or linguistically homogeneous. Major ethnic groups include the Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho (South Sotho), Bapedi (North Sotho), Venda, Tswana, Tsonga, Swazi and Ndebele, all of which speak Bantu languages.

Some, such as the Zulu, Xhosa, and Bapedi are unique to South Africa. Other groups are distributed across the borders with neighbours of South Africa: The Basotho group is also the major ethnic group in Lesotho. The Tswana ethnic group constitute the majority of the population of Botswana. The Swazi ethnic group is the major ethnic group in Swaziland. The Ndebele ethnic group is also found in Matabeleland in Zimbabwe, where they are known as the Matabele. These Ndebele people are the descendants of a Zulu faction under the warrior Mzilikazi that escaped persecution from Shaka by migrating to their current territory. The Tsonga ethnic group is also found in southern Mozambique, where they are known as the Shangaan.

Demographics

As of the calculations of 2004, there are 35,416,164 Black Africans and 8,625,050 Black African households residing in South Africa. The Black South African population density is 29/km². The density of Black households is 7/km². Black South Africans make up 79.0% of the total population. The percentage of all Black South African households that are made up of individuals is 19.9%. The average Black household size is 4.11 members.^{[citation needed]}

In South Africa, the Black population is spread out with 34.0% under the age of 15, 21.6% from 15 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 11.8% from 45 to 64, and 4.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age of a Black African is 21 years. For every 100 Black females there are 91.1 Black males. For every 100 Black females age 18 and over, there are 86.2 Black males.^{[citation needed]}

With regard to education, 22.3% of Black aged 20 and over have received no schooling, 18.5% have had some primary, 6.9% have completed only primary school, 30.4% have had some high education, 16.8% have finished only high school, and 5.2% have an education higher than the high school level. Overall, 22.0% of Black Africans have completed high school.^{[citation needed]}

The percentage of Black South African housing units having a telephone and/or mobile phone in the dwelling is 31.1%. The percentage having access to a nearby phone is 57.2%, and 11.7% do not have nearby access or any access. The percentage of Black African households that have a flush or chemical toilet is 41.9%. Refuse is removed from 45.3% of Black African households by the municipality at least once a week, and 11.0% have no rubbish disposal. Some 17.9% of Black Africans have running water inside their dwelling, 51.7% have running water on their property, and 80.2% have access to running water. The percentage of Black African households using electricity for cooking is 39.3%, for heating, 37.2%, and for lighting, 62.0%. Radios are owned by 68.7% of Black African households while 44.2% have a television, 1.8% own a computer, 40.0% have a refrigerator, and 24.6% have a mobile phone.^{[citation needed]}

The unemployment rate of the Black population aged 15–65 is 28.1%. The median annual income of Black working adults aged 15–65 is ZAR 12,073. Black African males have a median annual income of ZAR 14,162 versus ZAR 8,903 for Black African females.^{[citation needed]}

Whites

Main article: White South African

The white population is not ethnically homogeneous and descends from many ethnic backgrounds: Dutch, Flemish, British, French Huguenot, Portuguese, German, Irish, Greek, Polish, Norwegian, and Italian. Culturally and linguistically, they are divided into the Afrikaners, who speak Afrikaans (a West Germanic language), and English-speaking groups, many of whom are descended from British and Irish immigrants (see Anglo-African). Many small communities that have immigrated over the last century retain the use of other languages. There is also a substantial (though decreased) Jewish population, the majority of whom came from Lithuania at the turn of the 20th century; though others came then and later from Great Britain, the former Soviet Union and Israel^{[citation needed]}. The white population has until recently been on the decrease due to a low birth rate and emigration; as a factor in their decision to emigrate, many cite the high crime rate and the affirmative action policies of the government. Since 1994, approximately 440,000 white South Africans have permanently emigrated.

Despite high emigration levels, a high level of non-South African white immigrants have settled in the country, in particular from countries such as Britain and Zimbabwe. For example, by 2005, an estimated 212,000 British citizens were residing in South Africa. Since 2003, the numbers of British migrants coming to South Africa has risen by 50%. An estimated 20,000 British migrants moved to South Africa in 2007. There have also been a significant number of white Zimbabwean arrivals, fleeing their home country in light of the economic and political problems currently facing the country. As well as recent arrivals, a significant number of white Zimbabweans emigrated to South Africa in the wake of independence in Zimbabwe in 1980. Some of the more nostalgic members of the community are known in popular culture as "Whenwes", because of their nostalgia for their lives in Rhodesia "when we were in Rhodesia".

There have been other white immigration waves to South Africa in recent decades. In the 1970s, many Portuguese residents of African colonies such as Angola and Mozambique, came to live in South Africa after the independence of those nations. In addition, the apartheid government encouraged Central European immigration in the 1980s and early 1990s, particularly from Poland and Hungary.

Demographics

Ethnic groups, 2001–2011 (Numbers are millions of people; horizontal scale is percentage of total population)

As of the census of 2001, there are 4,293,638 Whites and 1,409,690 White households residing in South Africa. The White population density is 4/km². The density of White households is 1.16/km². Whites make up 9.6% of the total population.

The percentage of all White households that are made up of individuals is 19.1%. The average White household size is 3.05 members. In South Africa, the White population is spread out with 19.0% under the age of 15, 15.1% from 15 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age of a White is 35 years. For every 100 White females there are 94.0 White males. For every 100 White females age 18 and over, there are 91.1 White males.

With regard to education, 1.4% of Whites aged 20 and over have received no schooling, 1.2% have had no more than some primarying, 0.8% have completed only primary school, 25.9% have had no more than some high school education, 40.9% have finished only high school, and 29.8% have an education higher than the high-school level. Overall, 70.7% of Whites have completed high school.

The percentage of White housing units having a telephone and/or mobile phone in the dwelling is 95.4%. The percentage having access to a nearby phone is 4.4%, and 0.2% do not have nearby access or any access. The percentage of White households that have a flush or chemical toilet is 98.7%. Refuse is removed from 90.8% of White households by the municipality at least once a week, and 0.5% have no rubbish disposal. Some 87.2% of White have running water inside their dwelling, 95.6% have running water on their property, and 99.4% have access to running water. The percentage of White households using electricity for cooking is 96.6%, for heating, 93.2%, and for lighting, 99.2%. Radios are owned by 94.7% of White households while 92.6% have a television, 46.0% own a computer, 97.6% have a refrigerator, and 74.6% have a mobile phone.

The unemployment rate of the White population aged 15–65 is 4.1%. The median annual income of White working adults aged 15–65 is ZAR 65,000 White males have a median annual income of ZAR 81,701 versus ZAR 52,392 for White females.^{[citation needed]}

Ethnic groups in South Africa
Black African			79.4%
White			9.2%
Coloured			8.8%
Indian or Asian			2.6%

Coloureds

Main article: Coloured

The term "coloured" is still used for the people of mixed race descended from slaves brought in from East and Central Africa, the indigenous Khoisan who lived in the Cape at the time, Bantus, Whites (mostly the Dutch/Afrikaner and British settlers) as well as an admixture of Javanese, Malay, Indian, Malagasy and Asian blood. The majority speak Afrikaans. Khoisan refers to two separate groups, physically similar: light-skinned and small in stature. The Khoikhoi, who were called Hottentots by the Europeans, were pastoralists and extensively integrated into the colonial economy, many converting early to Christianity; the San, called Bushmen by the Europeans, were hunter-gatherers. Within the Coloured community, more recent immigrants will also be found: Coloureds from the former Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe); Namibia and immigrants of mixed descent from India(Anglo-Indians) who were welcomed to the Cape when India and Burma received their Independence.^{[citation needed]}

Asians/Indians

Main articles: Asian South African and Indian South African

The major part of the South African Asian population is Indian in origin (see Indian South Africans); many of them descended from indentured workers brought in the nineteenth century to work on the sugar plantations of the eastern coastal area then known as Natal. Serious riots in Durban between Indians and Zulus erupted in 1949. There is also a significant group of Chinese South Africans (approximately 100,000 individuals) and Vietnamese South Africans (approximately 50,000 individuals). In 2008, the Pretoria High Court has ruled that Chinese South Africans who arrived before 1994 are to be reclassified as Coloureds. As a result of this ruling, about 12,000–15,000 ethnically Chinese citizens who arrived before 1994, numbering 3%–5% of the total Chinese population in the country, will be able to benefit from government BEE policies.

Languages

Main article: Languages of South Africa

South Africa has eleven official languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. In this regard it is third only to Bolivia and India in number. While all the languages are formally equal, some languages are spoken more than others. According to the 2001 National Census, the three most spoken first home languages are Zulu (23.8%), Xhosa (17.6%) and Afrikaans (13.3%). Despite the fact that English is recognised as the language of commerce and science, it was spoken by only 8.2% of South Africans at home in 2001, an even lower percentage than in 1996 (8.6%).

The country also recognises several unofficial languages, including Fanagalo, Khoe, Lobedu, Nama, Northern Ndebele, Phuthi, San and South African Sign Language. These unofficial languages may be used in certain official uses in limited areas where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent. Nevertheless, their populations are not such that they require nationwide recognition.

Many of the "unofficial languages" of the San and Khoikhoi people contain regional dialects stretching northwards into Namibia and Botswana, and elsewhere. These people, who are a physically distinct population from other Africans, have their own cultural identity based on their hunter-gatherer societies. They have been marginalised to a great extent, and many of their languages are in danger of becoming extinct.

Many white South Africans also speak other European languages, such as Portuguese (also spoken by black Angolans and Mozambicans), German, and Greek, while some Asians and Indians in South Africa speak South Asian languages, such as Tamil, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu and Telugu. French is still widely spoken by French South Africans^{[citation needed]} especially in places like Franschhoek, where many South Africans are of French origin. South African French is spoken by fewer than 10,000 individuals. Congolese French is also spoken in South Africa by migrants.

The primary sign language of Deaf South Africans is South African Sign Language. Other sign languages among indigenous peoples are also used.

By ethnicity

0.7% of Black residents speak Afrikaans at home, 0.5% speak English, 2.0% speak Southern Ndebele, 22.3% speak Xhosa, 30.1% speak Zulu, 11.9% speak Northern Sotho, 10.0% speak Sesotho, 10.3% speak Tswana, 3.4% speak Swati, 2.9% speak Venda, and 5.6% speak Tsonga. 0.3% of the Black African population speaks a non-official language at home.

About 65% of White residents speak Afrikaans at home, about 35% speak English, 0.5% speak another official language, and 1.1% speak a non-official language at home.

Religion

Main article: Religion in South Africa

According to the 2001 national census, Christians accounted for 79.7% of the population. This includes Zion Christian (11.1%), Pentecostal (Charismatic) (8.2%), Roman Catholic (7.1%), Methodist (6.8%), Dutch Reformed (6.7%), Anglican (3.8%); members of other Christian churches accounted for another 36% of the population. Muslims accounted for 1.5% of the population, Hindus about 1.3%, and Jews 0.2%. 15.1% had no religious affiliation, 2.3% were classified as other and 1.4% were unspecified.

African Indigenous Churches made up the largest of the Christian groups. Some believe that many people claiming no affiliation with any organised religion adhered to traditional indigenous religions. Many people have syncretic religious practices combining Christian and indigenous influences.

Muslims are largely found among the Coloured and Indian ethnic groups. They have been joined by black or white South African converts as well as immigrants from other parts of Africa. South African Muslims claim that their faith is the fastest-growing religion of conversion in the country, with the number of black Muslims growing sixfold, from 12 000 in 1991 to 74 700 in 2004

The Hindu population has its roots in the British colonial period, but later waves of immigration from India have also contributed to it. Most Hindus are ethnically South Asian but there are many who come from mixed racial stock. Some are converts due to the efforts of Hindu missionaries such as ISKCON.

Other minority religions in South Africa are Sikhism, Jainism and Bahá'í Faith.

By ethnicity

79.9% of Black residents are Christian, 17.5% have no religion, 0.2% are Muslim, 0.0% are Jewish, 0.0% are Hindu and 2.3% have other or undetermined beliefs.

86.8% of White residents are Christian, 8.8% have no religion, 0.2% are Muslim, 1.4% are Jewish, and 0.0% are Hindu. 2.7% have other or undetermined beliefs.

Immigration

Main article: Immigration to South Africa

South Africa hosts a sizeable refugee and asylum seeker population. According to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, this population numbered approximately 144,700 in 2007. Groups of refugees and asylum seekers numbering over 10,000 included people from Zimbabwe (48,400), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (24,800), and Somalia (12,900). These populations mainly lived in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, and Port Elizabeth. Many refugees have now also started to work and live in rural areas in provinces such as Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.

Statistics SA assumes in some of their calculations that there are less than 2 million immigrants in South Africa. Other institutions, like the police and Médecins Sans Frontières place estimate the figure at 4 million.

Largest municipalities

See also: Metropolitan municipality (South Africa)

Graphs and maps

• 

  Population pyramid by population group, 2011

• 

  Black population

• 

  White population

• 

  Coloured population

See also

• Statistics South Africa
• South African National Census of 2001
• South African National Census of 2011
• Afrikaans speaking population in South Africa
• Jewish population of South Africa
• Ethnic groups in South Africa by municipality

External links

• Sokwanele article on Zimbabwe Refugee Crisis
• whites leave SA- study
• Contains information on the South African middle class