South Africa
Africa · 2024
South Africa Overview & Key Indicators
South Africa is in the Africa region. Population is 64,007,187. Total GDP is $401.1B. GDP per capita is $6,267. Life expectancy is 66.3 years.
Population
64,007,187
World Bank World Development Indicators · SP.POP.TOTL · 2024
Total GDP
$401.1B
World Bank World Development Indicators · NY.GDP.MKTP.CD · 2024
GDP per Capita
$6,267
World Bank World Development Indicators · NY.GDP.PCAP.CD · 2024
Life Expectancy
66.3
World Bank World Development Indicators · SP.DYN.LE00.IN · 2024
Median Age (years)
28.5
UN World Population Prospects · MedianAgePop · 2024
Population Growth
1.25%
World Bank World Development Indicators · SP.POP.GROW · 2024
Urbanization
63.7%
World Bank World Development Indicators · SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS · 2024
Net Migration
2.6
World Bank World Development Indicators · derived · 2024
South Africa Economy
Unemployment Rate
32.3%
World Bank World Development Indicators · SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS · 2024
Inflation Rate
4.4%
World Bank World Development Indicators · FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG · 2024
Gini Index
54.1
Data year 2022
World Bank World Development Indicators · SI.POV.GINI · 2022
Poverty Rate
17.4%
Data year 2022
World Bank World Development Indicators · SI.POV.DDAY · 2022
Military Expenditure (% of GDP)
0.7%
World Bank World Development Indicators · MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS · 2024
South Africa Environment
CO₂ Emissions
6.88
World Bank World Development Indicators · EN.ATM.CO2E.PC · 2024
Renewable Energy Share
9.7%
Data year 2021
World Bank World Development Indicators · EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS · 2021
Forest Area
14.0%
Data year 2023
World Bank World Development Indicators · AG.LND.FRST.ZS · 2023
PM2.5 Air Pollution (µg/m³)
27.7
Data year 2023
World Bank World Development Indicators · EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3 · 2023
South Africa Technology
Internet Users
78.4%
World Bank World Development Indicators · IT.NET.USER.ZS · 2024
Mobile Subscriptions
179.3
World Bank World Development Indicators · IT.CEL.SETS.P2 · 2024
Frequently Asked Questions about South Africa
South Africa had a population of 64,007,187 in 2024 (World Bank).
GDP per capita in South Africa was $6,267 in 2024 (World Bank, current US$).
Data Sources & Accuracy
World Development Indicators, The World Bank, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Human Development Index and Education Index inputs, UNDP Human Development Report Office, licensed under CC BY 3.0 IGO. Median age, United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Population Prospects, licensed under CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Headline figures use 2024 where available. Older values show their year on the card. Missing values are shown as “No data”; they are never filled in with zeros.
- World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators)
- UNDP Human Development Report (Human Development Index)
- UN World Population Prospects (median age)
Last checked: September 30, 2026
South Africa Social & Health
Life Expectancy
66.3
World Bank World Development Indicators · SP.DYN.LE00.IN · 2024
Literacy Rate
91.2%
World Bank World Development Indicators · SE.ADT.LITR.ZS · 2024
Human Development Index
0.741
Data year 2023
UNDP Human Development Report · hdi · 2023
Education Index
0.770
Data year 2023
UNDP Human Development Report · education_index · 2023