The South African population increased from over 7.4 million to over 44.8 million between the years 1946 and 2001, an average annual growth rate of about 3.3%.
Recent census data provide more detail about the country’s demographic shifts between urban and rural areas that should be viewed against the backdrop of national population densities which are presented in the map above.
There is a strong relationship between population density and the nature of settlement. In 2001, 57.5% of South Africans lived in urban areas, while 42.5% lived in rural settlements.