Factbook dossier
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 an…
Location
Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
Area
total : 1,219,090 sq km land: 1,214,470 sq km water: 4,620 sq km note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)
Natural resources
gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, rare earth elements, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas note: South Africa was the World's leading chromite ore producer in 2022 with an output of 18,000 mt
Natural hazards
prolonged droughts volcanism: the volcano that formed Marion Island in the Prince Edward Islands is South Africa's only active volcano
Population
total: 61,089,926 (2025 est.) male: 29,989,969 female: 31,099,957
Ethnic groups
Black African 80.9%, Colored 8.8%, White 7.8%, Indian/Asian 2.6% (2021 est.) note: Colored is a term used in South Africa, including on the national census, for persons of mixed race ancestry who developed a distinct cultural identity over several hundred years
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) note: data represent language spoken most often at home
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.)
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
Government type
parliamentary republic
Capital
name: Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital) geographic coordinates: 25 42 S, 28 13 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) 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)
Executive branch
chief of state: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024) head of government: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term) most recent election date: 29 May 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 expected date of next election: May 2029 note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
Legislative branch
legislature name: Parliament legislative structure: bicameral
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$870.42 billion (2024 est.) $865.402 billion (2023 est.) $859.399 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$13,600 (2024 est.) $13,700 (2023 est.) $13,800 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.4% (2024 est.) 6.1% (2023 est.) 7% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
China 19%, USA 8%, Germany 7%, India 7%, UK 6% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
China 21%, India 7%, USA 7%, Germany 6%, UAE 4% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
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 expenditures
0.7% of GDP (2024 est.) 0.7% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.8% of GDP (2022 est.) 0.8% of GDP (2021 est.) 1.1% of GDP (2020 est.)