South Africa: cities by population
South Africa has a population of 65,453,084 (UN estimate, 2026), with Pretoria as its capital. The 50 largest of its 941 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+39%
since 2000 (47,159,719)
+21%
projected by 2050 (79,177,328)
54
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in South Africa
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | Gauteng | 9,418,183 |
| 2 | Cape Town | Western Cape | 4,772,846 |
| 3 | Durban | KwaZulu-Natal | 3,338,026 |
| 4 | Pretoria | Gauteng | 2,112,693 |
| 5 | Soweto | Gauteng | 1,695,047 |
| 6 | Gqeberha | Eastern Cape | 1,050,078 |
| 7 | Soshanguve | Gauteng | 872,309 |
| 8 | Pietermaritzburg | KwaZulu-Natal | 839,327 |
| 9 | Evaton | Gauteng | 725,468 |
| 10 | Benoni | Gauteng | 605,344 |
| 11 | Bloemfontein | Free State | 556,637 |
| 12 | Thembisa | Gauteng | 511,655 |
| 13 | East London | Eastern Cape | 478,676 |
| 14 | Vereeniging | Gauteng | 474,681 |
| 15 | Boksburg | Gauteng | 445,168 |
| 16 | Welkom | Free State | 431,944 |
| 17 | Newcastle | KwaZulu-Natal | 404,838 |
| 18 | Krugersdorp | Gauteng | 378,821 |
| 19 | Rustenburg | North West | 373,695 |
| 20 | Emalahleni | Mpumalanga | 373,403 |
| 21 | Randburg | Gauteng | 337,053 |
| 22 | Roodepoort | Gauteng | 326,416 |
| 23 | Botshabelo | Free State | 309,714 |
| 24 | Brakpan | Gauteng | 305,692 |
| 25 | Kariega | Eastern Cape | 291,052 |
| 26 | Polokwane | Limpopo | 272,461 |
| 27 | Germiston | Gauteng | 255,863 |
| 28 | Richards Bay | KwaZulu-Natal | 252,968 |
| 29 | Vanderbijlpark | Gauteng | 246,754 |
| 30 | Paarl | Western Cape | 236,910 |
| 31 | Centurion | Gauteng | 236,580 |
| 32 | Klerksdorp | North West | 227,039 |
| 33 | Somerset West | Western Cape | 225,289 |
| 34 | Mdantsane | Eastern Cape | 205,504 |
| 35 | Middelburg | Mpumalanga | 196,263 |
| 36 | George | Western Cape | 188,580 |
| 37 | Carletonville | Gauteng | 182,304 |
| 38 | Potchefstroom | North West | 178,285 |
| 39 | Mthatha | Eastern Cape | 164,848 |
| 40 | KwaDukuza | KwaZulu-Natal | 161,177 |
| 41 | Westonaria | Gauteng | 156,831 |
| 42 | Etwatwa | Gauteng | 151,866 |
| 43 | Vryheid | KwaZulu-Natal | 150,012 |
| 44 | Pinetown | KwaZulu-Natal | 144,026 |
| 45 | Ladysmith | KwaZulu-Natal | 143,446 |
| 46 | eMbalenhle | Mpumalanga | 142,443 |
| 47 | Kimberley | Northern Cape | 142,089 |
| 48 | Nigel | Gauteng | 140,644 |
| 49 | Mpumalanga | KwaZulu-Natal | 140,121 |
| 50 | Bhisho | Eastern Cape | 137,287 |
Twenty years earlier: South Africa in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 48,051,581.
Common questions
What is the population of South Africa?
South Africa has a population of 65,453,084, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 79,177,328 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of South Africa?
Pretoria. The largest place we record there is Johannesburg, with 9,418,183 people.