Demographics · Southern Africa
South Africa Population Density
53.6/km²as of 2026+1.1% vs 2025
People per square kilometre of land area. Source: UN World Population Prospects. Updated March 7, 2026.
Trend
History
| Period | Population Density |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 53.6/km² |
| 2025 | 53/km² |
| 2024 | 52.4/km² |
| 2023 | 51.8/km² |
| 2022 | 51.1/km² |
| 2021 | 50.4/km² |
| 2020 | 49.6/km² |
| 2019 | 48.8/km² |
| 2018 | 48/km² |
| 2017 | 47.2/km² |
| 2016 | 46.9/km² |
| 2015 | 46.5/km² |
Get this via API
The series above is served by the /v1/data endpoint. With a free key you get JSON for every country and indicator on this site.
curl "https://api.africa-api.com/v1/data?country_code=ZA&metric_key=population_density_per_km2" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $AFRICA_API_KEY"Population Density across Africa
Rank all 54 ->| Country | Population Density |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 266.2/km² |
| Kenya | 101/km² |
| Egypt | 120.7/km² |
| Ghana | 156.9/km² |
| Ethiopia | 138.9/km² |
| Tanzania | 81.9/km² |
Frequently asked questions
What is South Africa's population density?
South Africa's population density is 53.6/km² as of 2026, according to UN World Population Prospects.
What is the source for this figure?
The figure comes from UN World Population Prospects and is republished by the Africa API with the retrieval date shown on this page.
How do I get South Africa Population Density data via API?
Call GET /v1/data?country_code=ZA&metric_key=population_density_per_km2 with a free Africa API key to receive the full time series as JSON.
More South Africa demographics data