List of South African provinces by population density

Since the election of 27 April 1994, South Africa has been divided into nine provinces. They vary widely in population density, from the highly urbanized Gauteng with nearly 700 people per square kilometre, to the mostly-desert Northern Cape with less than four people per square kilometre. The following table shows the provincial population density according to the Statistics South Africa Census.

RankProvincePopulationArea (km²)Density (per km²)1Gauteng2KwaZulu-Natal3Mpumalanga4Western Cape5Limpopo6Eastern Cape7North West8Free State9Northern CapeSouth Africa

Historical data

Since the creation of the current provinces in 1994 there have been four censuses, in 1996, 2001, 2011, and 2022. The results from the 2022 Census are due to be released on 10 October 2023.

ProvinceCensus 1996Census 2001Census 2011Gauteng432.0519.5675.1KwaZulu-Natal91.4102.3108.8Mpumalanga35.239.352.8Western Cape30.635.045.0Limpopo39.842.643.0Eastern Cape37.238.038.8North West28.831.533.5Free State20.320.921.1Northern Cape2.32.33.1South Africa33.336.842.4

See also List of South African provinces by population List of South African provinces by area

References