Largest cities in South Africa by population
The 4 cities the United Nations Demographic Yearbook 2024 lists for South Africa: the capital and every city of 100,000 or more, with the latest figure the country reported. The largest is Johannesburg with 957,441 people; the capital, Pretoria, has 741,651.
Who runs cities in South Africa?
Metropolitan municipalities (8, 'Category A'): Council elected every five years: half the seats are ward councillors chosen by first-past-the-post, half come from party lists; the council elects the mayor. Single tier of local government for the biggest cities (e.g. Johannesburg, Cape Town, eThekwini/Durban).
How local power works in South Africa · Level 3: local councils worldwide
| # | City | Population | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 957,441 | 10 October 2011 |
| 2 | Pretoria (capital) | 741,651 | 10 October 2011 |
| 3 | Durban | 595,061 | 10 October 2011 |
| 4 | Cape Town (capital) | 433,688 | 10 October 2011 |
Countries define a city in different ways (the city proper, or the wider urban area) and report in different years, so cities in different countries are not always comparable.
More on South Africa: official statistics · government and power · regions
Sources
- United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
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