How does South Africa rank for population - est. & proj. — total population - both sexes, per square?

South Africa ranks 132nd out of 191 countries with data for 2023.

Is population - est. & proj. — total population - both sexes, per square rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per square in South Africa

Name: Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per square in South Africa
Creator: Statizoid (derived)
License: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page

South Africa: Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per square was 0.0521 1000 No per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

0.0521 1000 No per square kilometre

Change on year

up 1.3%

World rank

132nd

of 191 countries

All-time high

0.0521 1000 No per square kilometre

in 2023

All-time low

0.0139 1000 No per square kilometre

in 1961

Years of data

1961–2023

Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per square in South Africa, 1961–2023

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in 1000 No per square kilometre.

Analysis

In 2023, population - est. & proj. — total population - both sexes, per square in South Africa stood at 0.0521 1000 No per square kilometre. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population - est. & proj. — total population - both sexes, per square in South Africa peaked at 0.0521 1000 No per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.0139 1000 No per square kilometre, in 1961.

South Africa ranks 132nd of 191 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.

Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per square in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961 to 2023.
Year	1000 No per square kilometre	Change
1961	0.0139 1000 No per square kilometre	—
1962	0.0144 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.0%
1963	0.0148 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.1%
1964	0.0153 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.1%
1965	0.0157 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.1%
1966	0.0162 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.1%
1967	0.0167 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.2%
1968	0.0173 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.2%
1969	0.0178 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.1%
1970	0.0184 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.1%
1971	0.0189 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.0%
1972	0.0195 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.9%
1973	0.02 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.9%
1974	0.0206 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.9%
1975	0.0212 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.8%
1976	0.0218 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.7%
1977	0.0224 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.7%
1978	0.023 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.8%
1979	0.0236 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.7%
1980	0.0243 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.1%
1981	0.0252 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.5%
1982	0.0261 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.5%
1983	0.027 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.6%
1984	0.0279 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.5%
1985	0.0289 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.4%
1986	0.0298 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.2%
1987	0.0308 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.2%
1988	0.0317 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.1%
1989	0.0327 1000 No per square kilometre	+3.0%
1990	0.0336 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.8%
1991	0.0344 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.3%
1992	0.035 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.8%
1993	0.0357 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.0%
1994	0.0363 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.6%
1995	0.0367 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.2%
1996	0.0372 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.3%
1997	0.0376 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.2%
1998	0.0381 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.2%
1999	0.0385 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.1%
2000	0.0389 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.9%
2001	0.0392 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.9%
2002	0.0396 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.0%
2003	0.04 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.0%
2004	0.0404 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.0%
2005	0.0408 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.0%
2006	0.0412 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.0%
2007	0.0417 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.1%
2008	0.0421 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.2%
2009	0.0426 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.2%
2010	0.0431 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.2%
2011	0.0437 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.2%
2012	0.0443 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.5%
2013	0.0451 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.7%
2014	0.0458 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.7%
2015	0.0468 1000 No per square kilometre	+2.0%
2016	0.0472 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.9%
2017	0.0475 1000 No per square kilometre	+0.7%
2018	0.0483 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.7%
2019	0.0491 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.7%
2020	0.0499 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.6%
2021	0.0507 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.6%
2022	0.0514 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.4%
2023	0.0521 1000 No per square kilometre	+1.3%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.0158 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0139 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0178 1000 No per square kilometre	9
1970s	0.0209 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0184 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0236 1000 No per square kilometre	10
1980s	0.0284 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0243 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0327 1000 No per square kilometre	10
1990s	0.0363 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0336 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0385 1000 No per square kilometre	10
2000s	0.0406 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0389 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0426 1000 No per square kilometre	10
2010s	0.0461 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0431 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0491 1000 No per square kilometre	10
2020s	0.051 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0499 1000 No per square kilometre	0.0521 1000 No per square kilometre	4

Countries ranked near South Africa

129 Nicaragua 0.0567 1000 No per square kilometre compare
130 Georgia 0.0548 1000 No per square kilometre compare
131 Madagascar 0.0536 1000 No per square kilometre compare
133 Fiji 0.0506 1000 No per square kilometre compare
134 Djibouti 0.0497 1000 No per square kilometre compare
135 Turks and Caicos Islands 0.0486 1000 No per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.242 % change on previous year (2100)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2122 % change on previous year (2100)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8748 % change on previous year (2050)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 58,057 1000 No (2050)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 14,698 1000 No (2050)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 49,126 1000 No (2100)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 45,189 1000 No (2100)
Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 94,314 1000 No (2100)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is population - est. & proj. — total population - both sexes, per square in South Africa?: Population - est. & proj. — total population - both sexes, per square in South Africa was 0.0521 1000 No per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest population - est. & proj. — total population - both sexes, per square recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 0.0521 1000 No per square kilometre in 2023.
What is the lowest population - est. & proj. — total population - both sexes, per square recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 0.0139 1000 No per square kilometre in 1961.
How does South Africa rank for population - est. & proj. — total population - both sexes, per square?: South Africa ranks 132nd out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
Is population - est. & proj. — total population - both sexes, per square rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per square in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/population-est-and-proj-total-population-both-sexes-per-square-kilometre/south-africa/

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Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page; please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/population-est-and-proj-total-population-both-sexes-per-square-kilometre/south-africa/">Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per square in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

How this figure is calculated

Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes ÷ Land area (sq. km)

Computed from

Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator: Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per square kilometre
Unit: 1000 No per square kilometre
Source: Statizoid (derived)
Licence: Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage: 192 places, 10,981 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 20 August 2026

Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.