South Africa’s population is estimated to have increased to 63.02-million this year, with the female population accounting for 51%, or about 32.13-million, of the population, according to Statistics South Africa's (Stats SA's) 'Mid-year Population Estimates' report.

Gauteng continues to record the largest share of the South African population, with about 15.83-million people, or 25.1%, living in this province, says Stats SA Demography and Population Statistics chief director Diego Iturralde.

KwaZulu-Natal is the province with the second largest population, with an estimated 12.34-million people, or 19.6%, living in this province. The Northern Cape remains the province with the smallest share of the South African population with about 1.36-million people, or 2.2%.

Further, 27.5% of the population is aged younger than 15 years, at 16.8-million people, and about 9.7%, or 6.13-million people, are 60 years or older.

The provinces reflecting the highest percentage of children younger than 15 within its structure are Limpopo at 33.2% and the Eastern Cape at 31.8%.

Additionally, the proportion of elderly persons aged 60 years and older in South Africa is increasing over time and, as such, policies and programmes to care for the needs of this growing population should be prioritised, says Iturralde.

The Stats SA report further shows that life expectancy at birth for 2024 is estimated at 63.6 years for males and 69.2 years for females. The infant mortality rate is estimated at 22.9 per 1 000 live births.

The estimated overall HIV prevalence rate is approximately 12.7% among the South African population. The total number of people living with HIV (PLWHIV) is estimated at about eight-million in 2024.

For adults aged 15 to 49 years, an estimated 16.7% of the population is HIV positive.

Gauteng and Western Cape are estimated to have experienced the largest inflow of migrants between 2021 and 2026, with Gauteng receiving 1.4-million migrants and the Western Cape 491 296 migrants.

There is a reduction in international migration, which is indicative of the Covid-19 travel restrictions and subsequent impact on migratory patterns since March 2020.

Migration is an important demographic process, as it shapes the age structure and distribution of the national and provincial population, Iturralde notes.