South Africa population pyramid 2026
65,453,084 people in 2026 (projected). South Africa’s pyramid combines an almost straight column below age 40 with a strong female surplus above 50, shaped by early fertility decline and HIV.
- 2026 population
- 65.5Mrank 24 of 237
- Median age
- 28.9 yearsoldest rank 146
- Fertility rate
- 2.17births per woman · above replacement
- Structure
- Transitional7.1% age 65+
South Africa population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
South Africa age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 25.6% of the population, while 7.1% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 67.3% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies South Africa’s age structure as transitional; the guide to population pyramid types explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 48.5: about 49 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (38.0 children and 10.5 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes South Africa’s population pyramid
An early fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa
South Africa began its fertility transition earlier than any other large country in sub-Saharan Africa. Women averaged about six children in the 1960s, fewer than four by 1990 and about 2.4 by 2000. The 2000 South Africa pyramid already has a pinched base, with the 0–4 band narrower than the 10–14 band. By 2026 the result is a pyramid that looks more like a column in its lower half: every band from 0–4 to 35–39 holds roughly 4.0–4.5% of the population per sex. A slight swell at 30–34 and 35–39 marks the cohorts born in 1987–96, and the 10–14 band, born in 2012–16, is a little narrower than its neighbors. Above 40 the pyramid narrows quickly, reflecting both the smaller cohorts born before the 1980s and higher adult mortality.
The imprint of HIV and male mortality
The HIV epidemic, among the largest in the world, cut life expectancy from about 63 years in 1990 to about 58 in 2000, and it remained near that level in 2010. The national antiretroviral treatment program expanded from the mid-2000s, and by 2020 life expectancy had recovered to about 65. Deaths were concentrated among young and middle-aged adults, and the effect is spread through the cohorts now aged roughly 40–70 rather than forming a single notch.
The most visible lasting feature is the gap between the sexes. Women outnumber men in every band from 50–54 upward, and at 60–64 there are about a third more women than men. Men in South Africa have markedly higher mortality from injuries and violence as well as illness, and census undercounting of men may also play a part; the chart alone cannot separate these factors. The guide to sex ratio and age structure explains how such gaps build up with age, and neighboring Lesotho shows an even stronger imprint of the epidemic.
Under the UN medium scenario South Africa grows from about 65 million in 2026 to about 79 million by 2050, with fertility just below replacement and the median age reaching about 32.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so South Africa’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
In the UN medium scenario births outnumber deaths in every year through 2100. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2100.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, South Africa is projected to record 1,167,803 births (about one birth every 27 seconds) and 609,623 deaths, a natural increase of 558,180. Net migration adds +131,684 people, ranking #53 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 27,547,536 births, 13,987,580 deaths, and cumulative net migration of +3,103,280. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of +3,970,056 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 70.2 years44.1 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 63.1 years42.2 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 15.7 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 21.9per 1,000 births · 139 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 29.9per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 28.3 yearssex ratio at birth 104.0
Women in South Africa are projected to live 7.1 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 139 to 21.9 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #57 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 28.3 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for South Africa
The median age of 28.9 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 2.17 births per woman is above the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 66.7 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 65,453,084 | #24 | Largest first |
| Median age | 28.9 years | #146 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 2.17 | #96 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +1.1% | #96 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 66.7 years | #204 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 7.1% | #144 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in South Africa
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0–4 | 5,826,964 | 8.9% | 3M / 2.9M |
| 2 | 5–9 | 5,691,174 | 8.7% | 2.8M / 2.8M |
| 3 | 30–34 | 5,658,446 | 8.6% | 2.8M / 2.9M |
| 4 | 35–39 | 5,500,347 | 8.4% | 2.7M / 2.8M |
| 5 | 15–19 | 5,464,026 | 8.3% | 2.7M / 2.7M |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, South Africa has 31,837,045 males and 33,616,040 females. That is 94.7 males per 100 females, ranking #182 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 48.6% of the population and females for 51.4%. There are 1,778,995 more females than males overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 63.3 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 104.0 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How South Africa has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 13,038,491 in 1950 to 65,453,084 in 2026, a change of 402%. Over the same span, median age moved from 19.2 to 28.9 years.
The under-15 share changed from 40.1% to 25.6%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 4.1% to 7.1%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately. See the South Africa population pyramid in 1950 for the full starting shape.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, South Africa’s population is projected to grow by about 21%, reaching 79,177,328 in 2050. The median age changes from 28.9 to 32.3 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 4.2 percentage points to 11.3%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 21.5%. The South Africa population pyramid for 2050 shows the projected shape in detail. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The population is still rising at the end of the UN medium projection in 2100, when it reaches 94,314,448. The page therefore does not assign a peak year beyond the available horizon.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 13,038,491 | 19.2 | 6.03 | 43.1 | 534,108 | 281,293 | +8,751 | +2.0% |
| 1960 | 16,440,172 | 17.9 | 6.11 | 52.6 | 654,647 | 233,377 | +18,891 | +2.7% |
| 1970 | 22,279,984 | 17.7 | 5.63 | 55.7 | 877,296 | 272,204 | +61,514 | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 29,518,857 | 18.4 | 4.78 | 60.0 | 1,023,204 | 284,796 | +258,127 | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 40,746,268 | 20.3 | 3.72 | 62.9 | 1,170,837 | 335,441 | +259,718 | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 47,159,719 | 20.8 | 2.41 | 58.4 | 1,017,081 | 490,137 | −136,794 | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 52,344,051 | 23.6 | 2.44 | 58.9 | 1,160,896 | 594,053 | +68,563 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 60,562,381 | 27.3 | 2.26 | 65.2 | 1,182,285 | 586,414 | +369,901 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 63,212,384 | 28.2 | 2.22 | 66.1 | 1,186,793 | 584,015 | +228,222 | +1.3% |
| 2024* | 64,007,187 | 28.5 | 2.21 | 66.3 | 1,182,869 | 591,233 | +166,972 | +1.2% |
| 2026* | 65,453,084 | 28.9 | 2.17 | 66.7 | 1,167,803 | 609,623 | +131,684 | +1.1% |
| 2030* | 68,161,359 | 29.6 | 2.10 | 67.3 | 1,146,101 | 646,542 | +141,259 | +0.9% |
| 2040* | 74,035,624 | 31.0 | 1.98 | 68.9 | 1,128,321 | 746,795 | +158,149 | +0.7% |
| 2050* | 79,177,328 | 32.3 | 1.89 | 70.3 | 1,142,135 | 848,631 | +178,382 | +0.6% |
| 2060* | 83,443,514 | 34.0 | 1.84 | 71.7 | 1,130,739 | 937,376 | +188,240 | +0.5% |
| 2070* | 86,857,023 | 35.2 | 1.80 | 73.1 | 1,118,425 | 1,004,218 | +214,582 | +0.4% |
| 2080* | 89,674,092 | 36.2 | 1.77 | 74.5 | 1,112,245 | 1,043,581 | +203,365 | +0.3% |
| 2090* | 92,160,724 | 37.3 | 1.75 | 75.9 | 1,106,982 | 1,062,063 | +185,880 | +0.3% |
| 2100* | 94,314,448 | 38.3 | 1.74 | 77.3 | 1,102,124 | 1,084,554 | +199,038 | +0.2% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 2,954,468 | 2,872,496 | 5,826,964 | 8.9% |
| 5–9 | 2,846,539 | 2,844,635 | 5,691,174 | 8.7% |
| 10–14 | 2,618,391 | 2,605,023 | 5,223,414 | 8.0% |
| 15–19 | 2,742,075 | 2,721,951 | 5,464,026 | 8.3% |
| 20–24 | 2,639,019 | 2,583,557 | 5,222,576 | 8.0% |
| 25–29 | 2,707,204 | 2,693,936 | 5,401,140 | 8.3% |
| 30–34 | 2,787,657 | 2,870,789 | 5,658,446 | 8.6% |
| 35–39 | 2,720,775 | 2,779,572 | 5,500,347 | 8.4% |
| 40–44 | 2,458,755 | 2,500,005 | 4,958,760 | 7.6% |
| 45–49 | 1,951,178 | 1,992,791 | 3,943,969 | 6.0% |
| 50–54 | 1,468,411 | 1,612,544 | 3,080,955 | 4.7% |
| 55–59 | 1,174,257 | 1,422,002 | 2,596,259 | 4.0% |
| 60–64 | 974,120 | 1,280,084 | 2,254,204 | 3.4% |
| 65–69 | 768,412 | 1,060,365 | 1,828,777 | 2.8% |
| 70–74 | 519,578 | 772,076 | 1,291,654 | 2.0% |
| 75–79 | 275,365 | 469,253 | 744,618 | 1.1% |
| 80–84 | 126,578 | 261,312 | 387,890 | 0.6% |
| 85–89 | 64,329 | 164,111 | 228,440 | 0.3% |
| 90–94 | 28,479 | 79,365 | 107,844 | 0.2% |
| 95–99 | 9,500 | 25,188 | 34,688 | 0.1% |
| 100+ | 1,954 | 4,985 | 6,939 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to South Africa’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Paraguay97% overlap · median age 27.3
- Fiji96% overlap · median age 28.3
- India96% overlap · median age 29.2
- Belize96% overlap · median age 27.3
- Cabo Verde96% overlap · median age 29.5
- Dominican Republic96% overlap · median age 28.7
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for South Africa.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). South Africa Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/south-africa/
MLA
“South Africa Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/south-africa/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “South Africa Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/south-africa/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of South Africa in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, South Africa's population in 2026 is projected at 65,453,084.
What is the median age in South Africa?
The projected median age in South Africa in 2026 is 28.9 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in South Africa?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 2.17 births per woman, above the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is South Africa's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 21%, from 65.5M to 79.2M.
What share of South Africa is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 7.1% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 11.3%.
How many babies are born in South Africa each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 1,167,803 births and 609,623 deaths in 2026, about one birth every 27 seconds. Births exceed deaths by 558,180.
What is life expectancy in South Africa for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 70.2 years for women and 63.1 years for men, a gap of 7.1 years in favour of women.
Does South Africa have more immigrants or emigrants?
South Africa is projected to gain about 131,684 more people through migration than it loses in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of +3,103,280.
What is the sex ratio in South Africa?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 94.7 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.