2020 Edition

Background

Some of the earliest human remains in the fossil record were found in South Africa. By about A.D. 500, Bantu-speaking groups began settling into what is now northeastern South Africa, displacing Khoisan-speaking groups to the southwest. Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of present-day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many settlers of Dutch descent -- known then as "Boers," or farmers, but later called Afrikaners -- trekked north to found their own republics, Transvaal and Orange Free State. In the 1820s, several decades of wars began as the Zulus expanded their territory, moving out of what is today southeastern South Africa and clashing with other indigenous peoples and the growing European settlements. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred mass immigration, predominantly from Europe. The Zulu kingdom's territory was incorporated into the British Empire after the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879, and the Afrikaner republics were incorporated after their defeat in the Second South African War (1899-1902). Beginning in 1910, the British and the Afrikaners ruled together under the Union of South Africa, which left the British Commonwealth to become a fully self-governing republic in 1961 after a Whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid -– billed as "separate development" of the races -- which favored the White minority and suppressed the Black majority and other non-White groups. The African National Congress (ANC) led the resistance to apartheid, and many top ANC leaders such as Nelson MANDELA spent decades in South Africa's prisons. Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts from some Western nations and institutions, led to the regime's eventual willingness to unban the ANC and negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa has since struggled to address apartheid-era imbalances in wealth, housing, education, and health care under successive administrations. President Cyril RAMAPHOSA, who was reelected as the ANC leader in 2022, has made some progress in reigning in corruption. 

Area

land

1,214,470 sq km

total

1,219,090 sq km

water

4,620 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Climate

mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights

Coastline

2,798 km

Elevation

highest point

Ntheledi (Mafadi) 3,450 m

lowest point

Atlantic/Indian Oceans 0 m

mean elevation

1,034 m

Geographic coordinates

29 00 S, 24 00 E

Geography - note

note 1: South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Eswatini note 2: sometimes mistaken for the southernmost point of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope is more accurately described as the southwestern-most point of the African continent; Cape Agulhas, the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, is the southernmost point of the African continent

Irrigated land

16,700 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

border countries

Botswana 1,969 km; Lesotho 1,106 km; Mozambique 496 km; Namibia 1,005 km; Eswatini 438 km; Zimbabwe 230 km

total

5,244 km

Land use

agricultural land

79.4% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 9.9% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.3% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 69.2% (2023 est.)

forest

18.7% (2023 est.)

other

1.9% (2023 est.)

Location

Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

Major aquifers

Karoo Basin, Lower Kalahari-Stampriet Basin

Major rivers (by length in km)

Orange (shared with Lesotho [s], and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 km; Limpoporivier (Limpopo) river source (shared with Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique [m]) - 1,800 km; Vaal [s] - 1,210 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage

Orange (941,351 sq km)

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

prolonged droughts volcanism: the volcano that formed Marion Island in the Prince Edward Islands is South Africa's only active volcano

Natural resources

gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas

Population distribution

the population is concentrated along the southern and southeastern coast, and inland around Pretoria; the eastern half of the country is more densely populated than the west, as shown in this population distribution map

Terrain

vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

Age structure

0-14 years

27.2% (male 8,227,690/female 8,194,392)

15-64 years

65.3% (male 19,524,873/female 19,947,839)

65 years and over

7.5% (2024 est.) (male 1,911,825/female 2,636,028)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

3.99 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0.7 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

1.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

7.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

1.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

17.21 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Child marriage

men married by age 18

0.6% (2016)

women married by age 15

0.9% (2016)

women married by age 18

3.6% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

4.9% (2017 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

33.6% (2020 est.)

Death rate

6.56 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

11.8 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

8.4 (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio

53 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

41.1 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 84.5% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 94.5% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 99.1% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 15.5% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 5.5% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0.9% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

Education expenditure (% GDP)

6% of GDP (2024 est.)

Education expenditure (% national budget)

19.1% national budget (2025 est.)

Ethnic groups

Black African 80.9%, Colored 8.8%, White 7.8%, Indian/Asian 2.6%  (2021 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.1 (2025 est.)

Health expenditure

Health expenditure (as % of GDP)

8.3% of GDP (2021)

Health expenditure (as % of national budget)

16.9% of national budget (2022 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

20 deaths/1,000 live births

male

23.9 deaths/1,000 live births

total

19.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Languages

Languages

isiZulu or Zulu (official) 25.3%, isiXhosa or Xhosa (official) 14.8%, Afrikaans (official) 12.2%, Sepedi or Pedi (official) 10.1%, Setswana or Tswana (official) 9.1%, English (official) 8.1%, Sesotho or Sotho (official) 7.9%, Xitsonga or Tsonga (official) 3.6%, siSwati or Swati (official) 2.8%, Tshivenda or Venda (official) 2.5%, isiNdebele or Ndebele (official) 1.6%, other (includes South African sign language (official) and Khoi or Khoisan or Khoe languages) 2% (2018 est.)

major-language sample(s)

Die Wereld Feite Boek, n’ onontbeerlike bron vir basiese informasie. (Afrikaans) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English)

Life expectancy at birth

female

73.5 years

male

70.3 years

total population

71.9 years (2024 est.)

Literacy

female

90.8% (2024 est.)

male

91.5% (2024 est.)

total population

91.2% (2024 est.)

Major urban areas - population

10.316 million Johannesburg (includes Ekurhuleni), 4.890 million Cape Town (legislative capital), 3.228 million Durban, 2.818 million PRETORIA (administrative capital), 1.296 million Port Elizabeth, 934,000 West Rand (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

118 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Median age

female

30.6 years

male

30.1 years

total

30.7 years (2025 est.)

Nationality

adjective

South African

noun

South African(s)

Net migration rate

-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

28.3% (2016)

Physician density

0.79 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

Population

female

31,099,957

male

29,989,969

total

61,089,926 (2025 est.)

Population growth rate

1.06% (2025 est.)

Religions

Christian 86%, ancestral, tribal, animist, or other traditional African religions 5.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other 1.5%, nothing in particular 5.2% (2015 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 81.7% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 91.4% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 95.9% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 18.3% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 8.6% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 4.1% of population (2022 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

14 years (2022 est.)

male

14 years (2022 est.)

total

14 years (2022 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.73 male(s)/female

at birth

1.02 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Tobacco use

female

6% (2025 est.)

male

35.3% (2025 est.)

total

20.1% (2025 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.23 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

68.8% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape

Capital

etymology

Pretoria was named in honor of Boer statesman Andries PRETORIUS in 1855; Cape Town's name refers to its location on the Cape of Good Hope; Bloemfontein was named after the farm on which it was built in 1846, whose name combined the Dutch words bloem (flower) and fontein (fountain)

geographic coordinates

25 42 S, 28 13 E

name

Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of South Africa

dual citizenship recognized

yes, but requires prior permission of the government

residency requirement for naturalization

5 year

Constitution

amendment process

proposed by the National Assembly of Parliament; passage of amendments affecting constitutional sections on human rights and freedoms, non-racism and non-sexism, supremacy of the constitution, suffrage, the multi-party system of democratic government, and amendment procedures requires at least 75% majority vote of the Assembly, approval by at least six of the nine provinces represented in the National Council of Provinces, and assent of the president of the republic; passage of amendments affecting the Bill of Rights, and those related to provincial boundaries, powers, and authorities requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly, approval by at least six of the nine provinces represented in the National Council, and assent of the president

history

several previous; latest drafted 8 May 1996, approved by the Constitutional Court 4 December 1996, effective 4 February 1997

Country name

abbreviation

RSA

conventional long form

Republic of South Africa

conventional short form

South Africa

etymology

self-descriptive name from the country's location on the continent; "Africa" is derived from the Roman designation of the area corresponding to present-day Tunisia "Africa terra," which meant "Land of the Afri" (the tribe resident in that area), but which eventually came to mean the entire continent

former

Union of South Africa

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador-designate Leo Brent BOZELL III; Chargé d’Affaires Marc DILLARD (since October 2025)

consulate(s) general

Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

email address and website

ACSJohannesburg@state.gov https://za.usembassy.gov/

embassy

877 Pretorius Street, Arcadia, Pretoria

FAX

[27] (12) 342-2299

mailing address

9300 Pretoria Place, Washington DC 20521-9300

telephone

[27] (12) 431-4000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Ismail ESAU (since 17 March 2025)

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles, New York

email address and website

Info.saembassyDC@dirco.gov.za https://www.saembassy.org/

FAX

[1] (202) 265-1607

telephone

[1] (240) 937-5760

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president

chief of state

President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024)

election results

2024: Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (ANC) elected president by the National Assembly unopposed 2019: Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (ANC) elected president by the National Assembly unopposed

election/appointment process

president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)

expected date of next election

May 2029

head of government

President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024)

most recent election date

29 May 2024

Flag

description: two equal-width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band that splits into a horizontal Y; a black isosceles triangle is in the Y, with narrow yellow bands around it; the red and blue bands are bordered by narrow white stripes meaning: the colors have no official meaning, but the Y stands for "the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity"

Government type

parliamentary republic

Independence

31 May 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State); 22 August 1934 (Status of the Union Act); 31 May 1961 (republic declared); 27 April 1994 (majority rule)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AIIB, AU, BIS, BRICS, C, CD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24, G-5, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, NSG, OECD (enhanced engagement), OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Supreme Court of Appeals (consists of the court president, deputy president, and 21 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 judges)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court of Appeals president and vice president appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), a 23-member body chaired by the chief justice; other Supreme Court judges appointed by the national president on the advice of the JSC and hold office until discharged from active service by an Act of Parliament; Constitutional Court chief and deputy chief justices appointed by the president of South Africa after consultation with the JSC and with heads of the National Assembly; other Constitutional Court judges appointed by the national president after consultation with the chief justice and leaders of the National Assembly; Constitutional Court judges serve 12-year nonrenewable terms or until age 70

subordinate courts

High Courts; Magistrates' Courts; labor courts; land claims courts

Legal system

mixed system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law

Legislative branch

legislative structure

bicameral

legislature name

Parliament

Legislative branch - lower chamber

chamber name

National Assembly

electoral system

proportional representation

expected date of next election

May 2029

most recent election date

6/15/2024

number of seats

400 (all directly elected)

percentage of women in chamber

44.7%

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

Legislative branch - upper chamber

chamber name

National Council of Provinces

expected date of next election

June 2029

most recent election date

5/29/2024

number of seats

90 (all appointed)

percentage of women in chamber

44.4%

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

National anthem(s)

history

adopted 1997; a combination of "N'kosi Sikelel' iAfrica" (God Bless Africa) and "Die Stem van Suid Afrika" (The Call of South Africa), which were respectively the anthems of the non-white and white communities under apartheid; official lyrics contain a mixture of Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English (the five most widely spoken of South Africa's 11 official languages)

lyrics/music

Enoch SONTONGA and Cornelius Jacob LANGENHOVEN/Enoch SONTONGA and Marthinus LOURENS de Villiers

title

"National Anthem of South Africa"

National color(s)

red, green, blue, yellow, black, white

National heritage

selected World Heritage Site locales

Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa (c); iSimangaliso Wetland Park (n); Robben Island (c); Maloti-Drakensberg Park (m); Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape (c); Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (n); Vredefort Dome (n); Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape (c); Khomani Cultural Landscape (c); Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains (n); Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites (c); The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa (c)

total World Heritage Sites

12 (7 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed)

National holiday

Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)

National symbol(s)

springbok (antelope), king protea flower

Political parties

African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP  African Independent Congress or AIC  African National Congress or ANC  African People's Convention or APC  Agang SA  Congress of the People or COPE  Democratic Alliance or DA  Economic Freedom Fighters or EFF  Freedom Front Plus or FF+  GOOD  Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP  National Freedom Party or NFP  Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania or PAC  United Christian Democratic Party or UCDP  United Democratic Movement or UDM 

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

sugarcane, maize, milk, soybeans, potatoes, wheat, grapes, chicken, oranges, apples (2023)

Average household expenditures

on alcohol and tobacco

4.1% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on food

16.1% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$137.593 billion (2022 est.)

revenues

$123.263 billion (2022 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2022

-$1.878 billion (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2023

-$6.143 billion (2023 est.)

Current account balance 2024

-$2.384 billion (2024 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2023

$93.879 billion (2023 est.)

Economic overview

upper-middle-income, largest southern African economy; Government of National Unity facing slow growth, fiscal gaps, and structural challenges; high income inequality, unemployment, and poverty; reforms to address electricity generation, transport, and logistics; leading producer and exporter of critical minerals

Exchange rates

Currency

rand (ZAR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2020

16.459 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

14.779 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

16.356 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

18.45 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2024

18.329 (2024 est.)

Exports

Exports 2022

$136.01 billion (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$124.671 billion (2023 est.)

Exports 2024

$127.629 billion (2024 est.)

Exports - commodities

gold, platinum, coal, cars, iron ore (2023)

Exports - partners

China 19%, USA 8%, Germany 7%, India 7%, UK 6% (2023)

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

31.8% (2024 est.)

government consumption

19.2% (2024 est.)

household consumption

64.8% (2024 est.)

imports of goods and services

-29.9% (2024 est.)

investment in fixed capital

14.5% (2024 est.)

investment in inventories

-0.6% (2024 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

2.9% (2024 est.)

industry

24.4% (2024 est.)

services

62.7% (2024 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$400.261 billion (2024 est.)

Imports

Imports 2022

$127.669 billion (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$123.454 billion (2023 est.)

Imports 2024

$119.59 billion (2024 est.)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, crude petroleum, gold, cars, broadcasting equipment (2023)

Imports - partners

China 21%, India 7%, USA 7%, Germany 6%, UAE 4% (2023)

Industrial production growth rate

-0.4% (2024 est.)

Industries

mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

7% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

6.1% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

4.4% (2024 est.)

Labor force

27.766 million (2024 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2022

76.2% of GDP (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$859.399 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$865.402 billion (2023 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024

$870.42 billion (2024 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2022

1.9% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

0.7% (2023 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2024

0.6% (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2022

$13,800 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$13,700 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2024

$13,600 (2024 est.)

Remittances

Remittances 2022

0.2% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

0.2% of GDP (2023 est.)

Remittances 2024

0.2% of GDP (2024 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$60.553 billion (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$62.492 billion (2023 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024

$65.435 billion (2024 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

26% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2022

33.3% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

32.1% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2024

33.2% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

65.5% (2024 est.)

male

57.1% (2024 est.)

total

60.9% (2024 est.)

Coal

consumption

176.095 million metric tons (2023 est.)

exports

66.918 million metric tons (2023 est.)

imports

3.301 million metric tons (2023 est.)

production

239.712 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves

9.893 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity

consumption

194.978 billion kWh (2023 est.)

exports

12.629 billion kWh (2023 est.)

imports

10.837 billion kWh (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity

65.989 million kW (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

22.838 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - rural areas

93.4%

electrification - total population

86.5% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

87.1%

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

fossil fuels

87.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

hydroelectricity

0.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

nuclear

3.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

solar

2.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

wind

5.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2023

86.197 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

3.834 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports

3.768 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

production

66.094 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

Nuclear energy

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors

1.85GW (2025 est.)

Number of operational nuclear reactors

2 (2025)

Percent of total electricity production

4.4% (2023 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil estimated reserves

15 million barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

609,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

total petroleum production

88,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

3 (2023 est.)

total

2.15 million (2023 est.)

Broadcast media

the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) operates 6 free-to-air TV stations; 1 private TV station; multiple subscription TV services with mix of local and international channels; mix of public and private radio stations at the national, regional, and local levels; state-owned SABC radio network has 18 stations, including one for each of the 11 official languages, 4 community stations, and 3 commercial stations; over 100 community stations with rural coverage

Internet country code

.za

Internet users

percent of population

76% (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

2 (2023 est.)

total subscriptions

1.353 million (2023 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

167 (2024 est.)

total subscriptions

115 million (2024 est.)

Airports

573 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

ZS

Heliports

49 (2025)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 3, general cargo 1, oil tanker 7, other 99

total

110 (2023)

Ports

key ports

Cape Town, Durban, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay

large

2

medium

4

ports with oil terminals

7

small

1

total ports

8 (2024)

very small

1

Railways

narrow gauge

19,756 km (2014) 1.065-m gauge (8,271 km electrified)

standard gauge

80 km (2021) 1.435-m gauge (80 km electrified)

total

30,400 km (2021)

Military - note

the South African National Defense Force's (SANDF) primary responsibilities include territorial and maritime defense, supporting the Police Service, protecting key infrastructure, responding to disasters, and participating in international peacekeeping missions; border security and maintaining a rapid reaction capability for regional security missions and disaster response have been priorities; in recent years, it has been deployed internally to assist the Police with quelling unrest and assisting with border security; the SANDF also regularly participates in African and UN peacekeeping missions and is a member of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Standby Force the SANDF was created in 1994 to replace the South African Defense Force (SADF); the SANDF was opened to all South Africans who met military requirements, while the SADF was a mostly white force (only whites were subject to conscription) with non-whites only allowed to join in a voluntary capacity; the SANDF also absorbed members of the various anti-apartheid opposition groups, including the African National Congress, the Pan Africanist Congress, and the Inkatha Freedom Party, as well as the security forces of the formerly independent Bantustan homelands (2025)

Military and security forces

South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South African Army (includes Reserve Force), South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), South African Military Health Services Ministry of Police: South African Police Service (SAPS) (2025)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 65-70,000 active-duty National Defense Forces (2025)

Military deployments

approximately 2,000 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO and Southern African Development Community) (2025)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the SANDF's inventory is a mix of domestically produced and foreign-supplied equipment; South Africa's domestic defense industry produced most of the Army's major weapons systems (some were jointly produced with foreign companies), while the Air Force and Navy inventories include a mix of European, Israeli, and US origin armaments, alongside some domestic systems, such as combat helicopters and some naval vessels; South Africa has one of Africa's leading defense industries (2025)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2020

1.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

0.8% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

0.8% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

0.7% of GDP (2023 est.)

Military Expenditures 2024

0.7% of GDP (2024 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-22 (18-26 for college graduates) years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; initial 24-month service obligation (2025)

Illicit drugs

USG identification

major precursor-chemical producer (2025)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

7,385 (2024 est.)

refugees

171,484 (2024 est.)

Trafficking in persons

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List — the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period, therefore South Africa was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/south-africa/

Key space-program milestones

1976 - established a satellite remote sensing (RS)/radio astronomy center (originally built by the US in 1961 to receive data from US space missions) 1980s - conducted program to launch reconnaissance satellites on a domestically produced satellite launch vehicle (abandoned in 1994 along with nuclear program) 1999 - first domestically built RS/technology demonstrator microsatellite (Sunsat-1) launched by US 2009 - first government-owned and -operated RS/scientific/technology demonstrator satellite (SumbandilaSat) launched by Russia 2018 - inaugurated a radio space telescope array (Karoo Array Telescope or MeerKAT) 2021 - began construction of the international Square Kilometer Array radio telescope observatory; launched a sounding rocket for research purposes to an altitude of nearly 18,000 km (11,185 mi) 2022 - opened Africa's first regional space weather center 2023 - agreed to participate in China's international lunar research station project

Space agency/agencies

South African National Space Agency (SANSA; established 2010) (2025)

Space launch site(s)

Arniston launch facility (Western Cape) used to support space launch vehicle and ballistic missile program (1980s-1990s); it is now a weapons testing facility called the Denel Overberg Test Range (2024)

Space program overview

key areas of emphasis for its national space program include Earth observation/remote sensing (RS) capabilities, weather monitoring, research, engineering, and operations (tracking, telemetry, etc.); produces and operates satellites; has a sounding rocket program for carrying experimental payloads for research; cooperates with a range of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of China, France, India, Russia, and the US; member of the African Space Agency; participates in international programs such as the Square Kilometer Array Project; has a number of state- and privately-owned aerospace companies, as well as academic and research institutions involved in space-related activities (2025)

Terrorist group(s)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

365.269 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from consumed natural gas

7.522 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

73.913 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total emissions

446.704 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Environmental issues

limited freshwater resources due to lack of major rivers or lakes; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban waste; air pollution resulting in acid rain; deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; desertification; solid waste pollution; significant floral extinctions

International environmental agreements

party to

Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

Methane emissions

agriculture

754.2 kt (2019-2021 est.)

energy

1,489.2 kt (2022-2024 est.)

other

32.1 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste

770.2 kt (2019-2021 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

17 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Total renewable water resources

51.35 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

11.839 billion cubic meters (2022)

industrial

4.616 billion cubic meters (2022)

municipal

3.476 billion cubic meters (2022)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

18.457 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

28.2% (2022 est.)