Identity
- Official name
- Republic of South Africa
- Status
- Sovereign country profile
- Demonym
- South African
- Codes
- ZA / ZAF
Daily discoveryDid you know?
South Africa covers 1,221,037 km².
ZARepublic of South AfricaSovereign country profile
South Africa
South Africa is in Southern Africa. This profile brings its status, flag, geography, people, languages, and latest available indicators into one clear visual story.
FlagZAF · 171 / 207
🇿🇦 The flag shown for South Africa. Profile code: ZA / ZAF.
01Population65.5M
UN DESA · 2026 medium projection
02CapitalPretoria
Republic of South Africa
03CurrencyZAR
South African rand (ZAR)
04Life expectancy66.7 years
UN DESA · 2026 medium projection
National anthemnational anthem of MzansiNational anthem audio · Wikidata / Wikimedia Commons · 2:03
Basic info
Expanded country facts
Core identity, people, geography, government, and practical reference data in one scan-friendly board.
People
- Population
- 65.5M · UN DESA · 2026 medium projection
- Median age
- 28.9 years · UN DESA 2026 medium projection
- Languages
- Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
- Largest cities
- Pretoria
Place
- Region
- Africa
- Subregion
- Southern Africa
- Area
- 1,221,037 km²
- Coordinates
- 29.0° S, 24.0° E
Practical
- Currency
- South African rand (ZAR)
- Calling code
- +27
- Time zones
- South Africa Standard Time (UTC+2)
- Emergency
- 112 mobile; police 10111; ambulance 10177
Government
- Type
- parliamentary republic
- Head of state
- Cyril Ramaphosa
- Head of government
- Cyril Ramaphosa
- Constitution
- Comparable date pending
Geography
- Connections
- This profile has coastal access and listed land connections.
- Climate
- Temperate to subtropical zones
- Highest point
- Mafadi
- Driving side
- Left
Compare profiles
See South Africa
in context.
Start with a neighbor or a similar regional profile, then adjust the matchup across the complete atlas.
At a glance
Meet
South Africa.
South Africa is a world profile in Southern Africa. Its status is sovereign country profile.
RegionSouthern Africa
DemonymSouth African
Area1,221,037 km²
Calling code+27
Economy
The latest available indicators.
Economic values use the latest non-empty World Bank year from 2019–2026, shown below each figure.
GDP$427.2B2025 · current USD
GDP per person$6.6K2025 · current USD
GDP growth1.1%2025 annual growth
A deeper profile
People, systems
& everyday life.
Comparable facts are shown with clear dates and neutral framing. Gaps stay visible instead of being filled with guesses.
How people live
Urban 63.8%Rural 36.2%
World Bank · 2025- Median age
- 28.9 years
- Languages
- Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
- Capital / principal city
- Pretoria
Ethnic and religious categories vary by national census and are not presented without a directly comparable, dated source.
Placed in context
Population1.6× atlas average
GDP#40 of 192
Population compares the 207 atlas profiles. GDP ranking includes profiles with a published World Bank value.
A concise timeline
Wikidata records the current state as dating from 1910. Earlier state forms, independence milestones, and later constitutional changes may use different dates, so this is a starting point rather than a complete national timeline.
- Government
- parliamentary republic
- Head of state
- Cyril Ramaphosa
- Head of government
- Cyril Ramaphosa
- Current constitution
- Comparable date pending
Land and climate
- Climate
- Temperate to subtropical zones
- Geography
- South Africa is in Southern Africa and has coastal access. Its listed area is 1,221,037 km².
- Highest point
- Mafadi
- Major rivers
- Profile-specific value pending
- Natural resources
- Profile-specific value pending
Practical essentials
- Driving side
- Left
- Calling code
- +27
- Time zones
- South Africa Standard Time (UTC+2)
- Plug types
- Type C / M / N
- Tipping
- Customary in restaurants and service settings
- Emergency numbers
- 112 mobile; police 10111; ambulance 10177
Remember South Africa
- Pretoria is the capital city.
- South Africa covers 1,221,037 km².
- South Africa has coastal access.
- It shares land borders with Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and 1 more.
- Listed official languages include Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho.
- Its international calling code is +27.
- The latest published population in this atlas is 64.7M (2025).
- The listed currency code is ZAR.
Connected places
Neighboring profiles
Continue exploring across each listed land border or connected geography.
This profile has coastal access and listed land connections.
Visual atlas
South Africa in view
People & place
Country
essentials.
Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Languages listed in the open country catalog for South Africa.
6 listed connections
This profile has coastal access and listed land connections.
South African rand (ZAR)
The primary currency code and name used in the country catalog.
Identity card
Four essentials
ZATwo-letter country code
ZAFThree-letter country code
PretoriaCapital city
AfricaWorld region
Sources & notes
Numbers you can trace.
Statistics show their reference year because country data changes. Unavailable values are clearly marked instead of estimated.
- UN DESA World Population Prospects — population, age, sex balance, and longevity ↗
- World Bank — latest available economic indicators ↗
- World Bank — urban population share ↗
- Wikidata — government and current officeholders ↗
- National anthem audio source — national anthem of Mzansi ↗
- Open country catalog — names, codes and geography ↗
- OpenStreetMap — map data ↗
Verified data & AI projection
South Africa
Special Report.
South Africa is profiled through long-run World Bank indicators covering the economy, population, health, work, technology, and environment. Southern Africa context, regional connectivity, demographic direction, and long-run development indicators.
Current demographic baselineUN DESA · 2026
Medium projection from World Population Prospects, 2024 Revision
Executive read
What the numbers suggest
- Population has moved up since 2000, giving the report a clear demographic baseline.
- Life expectancy is higher than in 2000, showing the direction of health and longevity conditions.
- Recent GDP growth averages 1.9% across the latest 5 available observations.
Human development pressure
73.9MPopulation base
67.5 yrsLife expectancy
2.07Fertility rate
100.0%Internet access
2035 scenarios are simple educational trend projections from recent historical observations. They are not official forecasts.
economy · NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG
HighGDP growth
20004.20%
20251.11%
2035 base0.68%
Low0.83%Base0.68%High0.53%
recent average · % annual
people · SP.POP.GROW
HighPopulation growth
20000.91%
20251.15%
2035 base1.36%
Low1.29%Base1.36%High1.44%
linear trend · % annual
people · SP.POP.TOTL
HighPopulation
200047.2M
202564.7M
2035 base73.9M
Low70.6MBase73.9MHigh77.4M
compound trend · people
health · SP.DYN.LE00.IN
HighLife expectancy
200058.4 yrs
202466.3 yrs
2035 base67.5 yrs
Low67.1 yrsBase67.5 yrsHigh67.9 yrs
linear trend · years
people · SP.DYN.TFRT.IN
HighFertility rate
20002.41
20242.21
2035 base2.07
Low2.12Base2.07High2.02
linear trend · births per woman
people · SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS
HighUrban population
200056.3%
202563.8%
2035 base64.3%
Low64.2%Base64.3%High64.5%
linear trend · % of total
economy · FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG
HighInflation
20005.34%
20253.21%
2035 base4.89%
Low4.30%Base4.89%High5.48%
recent average · % annual
work · SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS
HighUnemployment
200022.8%
202532.4%
2035 base30.2%
Low31.0%Base30.2%High29.5%
recent average · % labor force
economy · NY.GDP.PCAP.CD
HighGDP per capita
2000$3.2K
2025$6.6K
2035 base$7.1K
Low$6.9KBase$7.1KHigh$7.3K
compound trend · current US$
environment · EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5
HighCO2 per person
20007.36
20246.88
2035 base4.90
Low5.59Base4.90High4.21
linear trend · t CO2e/capita
technology · IT.NET.USER.ZS
HighInternet access
20005.35%
202478.4%
2035 base100.0%
Low100.0%Base100.0%High100.0%
linear trend · % of people
economy · NY.GDP.MKTP.CD
HighGDP
2000$151.8B
2025$427.2B
2035 base$526.3B
Low$489.5BBase$526.3BHigh$565.7B
compound trend · current US$
Educational projection, not an official forecast.Historical values are World Bank observations retrieved 2026-08-13. The 2026 demographic baseline is the official UN DESA medium projection from World Population Prospects 2024. The atlas's 2035 scenarios use simple trend math.