People living in South Africa
202663.5m
+1.2% vs 2025
2002 – 2026
DataDesk · from The Outlier
South Africa in numbers
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The country right now
GDP growth
Q2 2026−0.2%
−0.6 pp vs Q1 2026 (worse)
Q3 2021 – Q2 2026
Unemployment rate
Q2 202633.6%
+0.9 pp vs Q1 2026 (worse)
Q3 2021 – Q2 2026
Consumer inflation
Sep 20264.5%
+0.1 pp vs Aug 2026 (worse)
Oct 2024 – Sep 2026
Producer price inflation
Sep 20266.2%
+1.2 pp vs Aug 2026 (worse)
Oct 2024 – Sep 2026
Rand per US dollar
12 Nov 2026R16.63
−R0.50 vs 12 Nov 2025 (better)
4 Nov 2025 – 12 Nov 2026
Across the provinces
Where you live shapes the numbers. Switch the measure to compare provinces.
Unemployment rate by province, Q2 2026
Share of the labour force without work. South Africa: 33.6%
- Eastern Cape 47.5%
- North West 38.1%
- Free State 37.3%
- Mpumalanga 36.6%
- Gauteng 34.6%
- KwaZulu-Natal 32.5%
- Limpopo 32.0%
- Northern Cape 28.7%
- Western Cape 19.5%
Source: Statistics South Africa · View the unemployment rate data
Prices, power and the public purse
Prime lending rate
12 Nov 202610.75%
+0.25 pp vs 12 Nov 2025
29 Sep 2021 – 12 Nov 2026
Petrol, 95 octane inland
Oct 2026R30.25 / litre
+R3.33 vs Sep 2026 (worse)
Nov 2023 – Oct 2026
National minimum wage
2026R30.23 / hour
+5.0% vs 2025
2019 – 2026
Eskom energy availability
Week to 4 Oct 202671.6%
+6.5 pp vs 5 Oct 2025 (better)
20 Oct 2024 – 4 Oct 2026
Renewable electricity on the grid
202518.1 TWh
+0.7% vs 2024 (better)
2016 – 2025
Tax revenue collected
2025/26R2.01trn
+8.2% vs 2024/25
2006/07 – 2025/26
Browse by topic
145 datasets, each with charts and the data behind them.
Economy & Business
- AgriBusiness Confidence in South Africa
- CPI in South Africa, annual
- GDP growth rate, annual, South Africa
- Unemployment rate in South Africa
- African car production
- Annual mining fatalities in South Africa
Energy
- Electricity generation in South Africa, by type and month
- Electricity transmission lines installed by Eskom
- Solar panel imports into Africa
- Electricity generation, imports and demand in African countries
- Eskom energy availability factor in South Africa, by week
- Eskom's energy availability factor by year in South Africa
Politics & Elections
- 2021 local government elections ward voter turnout
- Johannesburg City Council election results 2026
- Johannesburg city council seat changes, 2021 v 2026
- Local Government Election seat allocations 2000-2021
- Party vote share in South African municipalities, 2021 local government elections
- Political party donations in South Africa
Climate & Environment
- Carbon tax rates in South Africa, 2019-2030
- Eskom greenhouse gas emissions
- Fossil carbon dioxide emissions of African countries
- Greenhouse gas emissions of African countries (1970-2023)
- Growth rate of global atmospheric carbon dioxide
- Rhino poaching in South Africa: provincial and national breakdown
Education
- Annual public university graduate numbers, South Africa
- Condition rating of South Africa's public schools by province
- Levels of education achieved by South Africans
- Number of children reached by National School Nutrition Programme
- Number of schools reached by National School Nutrition Programme
- Public schools without library on site by province
Transport & Infrastructure
- Rail freight transported by Transnet per year, 2011-present
- Arrivals of tourists in South Africa, by month and major airport
- Cape Town MyCiti bus passenger journeys
- Diesel prices in South Africa since 2017
- Entry-level EV and ICE car prices in South Africa, by brand
- New energy vehicle sales in South Africa
Governance
- Audit outcomes of municipalities in South Africa, 2010–2025
- Local government ward by-elections in South Africa
- Money owed to Eskom by South Africa's municipalities
- Outstanding land restitution claims in South Africa
- Registered voters in national elections in South Africa
- Share of by-elections per municipality
Demographics & Society
- Population of South Africa by age - Thembisa model
- Population of South Africa by age cohort - StatsSA
- Population of South Africa's provinces by age - StatsSA
- Share of young home buyers in South Africa by gender
- Social grant expenditure in South Africa
- Unemployment and the Labour Force