Society of South Africa

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KEY FACTS 2015

Population per sq km: 45

Life expectancy: 62 years

Net primary enrolment: 85% (2013)


Population: 54,956,000 (2015); 64 per cent of people live in urban areas and 34 per cent in urban agglomerations of more than a million people; growth 1.6 per cent p.a. 1990–2015; birth rate 20.7 per 1,000 people (38 in 1970); life expectancy 62 years (53 in 1970, 61 in 1990 and 57 in 2013).

People of African origin constitute 79.0 per cent of the population (2001 census), European origin 9.6 per cent, mixed descent 8.9 per cent (‘coloureds’) and Asian origin 2.5 per cent. The African linguistic groups comprise Zulu (23.8 per cent of the total population), Xhosa (17.6 per cent), Pedi (9.4 per cent), Tswana (8.2 per cent), Sotho (7.9 per cent), Tsonga (4.4 per cent), Swati (2.7 per cent), Venda (2.3 per cent) and several smaller groups. The ‘coloureds’ include descendants of slaves brought from Malaya, Indonesia and Madagascar, and the Khoi-Khoi people of the Cape. There is also a substantial flow of inward migration of people seeking employment, most from neighbouring countries such as Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Language: Official languages are Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Sesotho sa Leboa (Northern Sotho), Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.

Religion: Christians 80 per cent (2001 census) with a wide range of denominations; and minorities of Muslims, Hindus and Jews.  Traditional and Christian forms of worship are often blended.

Media: Among the many dailies in English are Business Day, Cape Argus, Cape Times, The Citizen, Sowetan (Johannesburg), The Times (in print by subscription only) and The Star (Johannesburg). Leading Afrikaans-language dailies are Beeld (Johannesburg) and Die Burger (Cape Town). The most influential national weeklies are Financial Mail, Mail & Guardian, The Sunday Independent and Sunday Times.

State-owned South African Broadcasting Corportation (SABC) provides a comprehensive range of national and regional radio stations covering 11 languages and an external service for a pan-African audience, Channel Africa.  There are very many private radio stations.  SABC also operates three national TV networks and two pay-TV services.  Many private TV channels are available nationally; and private TV network M-Net targets a pan-African audience.

Public holidays: New year’s Day, Human Rights Day (21 March), Freedom Day (27 April), Workers’ Day (1 May), Youth Day (16 June), National Women’s Day (9 August), Heritage Day (24 September), Day of Reconciliation (16 December), Christmas Day and Day of Goodwill (26 December).

Religious festivals whose dates vary from year to year include Good Friday and Family Day/Easter Monday.