South Africa AI Report
Date: June 5, 2025
South Africa is a large country with 0.8% of the world's population. South Africa is a democratic republic country. It has 12 world heritage sites. It is rich in resources and has 4.5% of Fluorite and 9.2% of Diamonds, of the World.
South Africa is the 24th ranked country in population and 23rd ranked in area out of 195 countries in the world.Please keep the country rank in perspective, for the highlights below.




Out of 195 countries in the world, South Africa is the 1st highest ranked in Northern Sotho . This implies that this country has significantly more people speaking Northern Sotho when compared to other countries.
The Average Sotho of 195 countries in the world is 33,988. South Africa is the 1st highest ranked country out of 195 countries. This implies that this country has significantly more people speaking Sotho when compared to other countries.
South Africa is the 1st highest ranked in Swazi out of all the 195 countries.This implies that this country has significantly more people speaking Swazi when compared to other countries.
Out of 195 countries in the world, South Africa is the 2nd highest ranked in Ndebele . This implies that this country has significantly more people speaking Ndebele when compared to other countries.



The Average GDP Per Capita (USD) of 195 countries in the world is 30,070. South Africa is the 90th worst ranked country out of 195 countries. This implies that this country is a developing country.
Out of 195 countries in the world, South Africa is the 94th worst ranked in Rice prod. . This is indicative of less focus on the production of rice, or scarcity of fertile land, or higher industrialisation as compared to other countries.
Out of 195 countries in the world, South Africa is the 102nd worst ranked in Natural Gas Prod. . This indicates that natural resources are scarce in this country when compared to other countries, and it may be a huge importer of such resources.
South Africa is the 108th worst ranked in Oil Prod. out of all the 195 countries.This indicates that natural resources are scarce in this country when compared to other countries, and it may be a huge importer of such resources.
Language Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Northern Sotho | # People | 24,102 | 1 | 1129 | ||
2 | Sotho | # People | 33,988 | 1 | 1125 | ||
3 | Swazi | # People | 11,794 | 1 | 1126 | ||
4 | Afrikaans as a % of total Afrikaans speakers | % People | 0 | 1 | 1125 | ||
5 | Northern Sotho as a % of total Northern Sotho speakers | % People | 0 | 1 | 1127 | ||
6 | Swazi as a % of total Swazi speakers | % People | 0 | 1 | 1125 | ||
7 | Tsonga as a % of total Tsonga speakers | % People | 0 | 1 | 1130 | ||
8 | Tswana as a % of total Tswana speakers | % People | 0 | 1 | 1126 | ||
9 | Zulu as a % of total Zulu speakers | % People | 0 | 1 | 1129 | ||
10 | Ndebele | # People | 20,528 | 2 | 1126 | ||
11 | Venda | # People | 15,384 | 2 | 1127 | ||
12 | Xhosa | # People | 12,820 | 2 | 1127 | ||
13 | Ndebele as a % of total Ndebele speakers | % People | 0 | 2 | 1126 | ||
14 | Sotho as a % of total Sotho speakers | % People | 0 | 2 | 1130 | ||
15 | Venda as a % of total Venda speakers | % People | 0 | 2 | 1129 | ||
16 | Xhosa as a % of total Xhosa speakers | % People | 0 | 2 | 1126 | ||
17 | English | # People | 3,175,743 | 10 | 1130 | ||
18 | English as a % of total English speakers | % People | 0 | 11 | 1125 | ||
Below than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Standard Chinese | # People | 6,821,357 | 31 | 1231 | ||
2 | Swahili | # People | 104,667 | 16 | 1232 | ||
3 | Telugu | # People | 536,655 | 14 | 1232 | ||
4 | Telugu as a % of total Telugu speakers | % People | 0 | 12 | 1235 |
Culture Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Cricket Playing Nations (ICC Members) | Count | 1 | 1 | 1130 | ||
2 | Christian Population | # People | 11,885,917 | 14 | 1130 | ||
3 | Christian Pop./Total Christian Pop.% | % People | 0 | 14 | 1129 | ||
4 | # Oscar Wins – Best International Feature Film | 0 | 16 | 1129 | |||
5 | Share of Best International Feature Film Wins (% World) | 0 | 16 | 1130 | |||
6 | World Heritage Sites | Count | 7 | 27 | 1129 | ||
7 | Christian Pop./Total Pop.% | % People | 42 | 66 | 1130 | ||
Below than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Islamic Pop./Total Pop.% | % People | 22 | 124 | 1234 | ||
2 | Islamic Pop./Total Islamic Pop.% | % People | 0 | 76 | 1232 | ||
3 | Islamic Population | # People | 9,936,734 | 77 | 1233 | ||
4 | # Olympic Medals | Count | 157 | 36 | 1230 | ||
5 | Jewish Pop./Total Pop.% | % People | 0 | 24 | 1232 | ||
6 | Jewish Population | # People | 78,295 | 11 | 1235 | ||
7 | Jewish Pop./Total Jewish Pop. % | % People | 0 | 11 | 1234 |
Nature Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Tree density. | Density | 9 | 1 | 1128 | ||
2 | Tree density . | Density | 8 | 1 | 1128 | ||
3 | Flourite prod. | Tons | 231,501 | 3 | 1129 | ||
4 | Flourite Produced/Total Flourite Produced % | Weight | 4 | 3 | 1125 | ||
5 | Coal Production (in 1000 metric tons) | Weight | 121,850 | 6 | 1130 | ||
6 | Coal Production (% of Total Coal Production) | Percent | 1 | 6 | 1128 | ||
7 | Iron Production (in 1000 metric tons) | Weight | 33,258 | 7 | 1127 | ||
8 | Iron Production (% of Total Iron Production) | Percent | 2 | 7 | 1130 | ||
9 | Cow Beef Production (in tonnes) | Weight | 320,761 | 12 | 1128 | ||
10 | Apple Production (in tonnes) | Weight | 1,044,287 | 12 | 1130 | ||
11 | Cow Beef Production (% of Total Cow Beef Production) | Percent | 0 | 12 | 1127 | ||
12 | Apple Production (% of Total Apple Production) | Percent | 1 | 12 | 1125 | ||
13 | Orange Production (in tonnes) | Weight | 618,959 | 13 | 1129 | ||
14 | Orange Production (% of Total Orange Production) | Percent | 0 | 13 | 1125 | ||
15 | Chicken Meat Production (in tonnes) | Weight | 588,164 | 14 | 1125 | ||
16 | Chicken Meat Production (% of Total Chicken Meat Production) | Percent | 0 | 14 | 1130 | ||
17 | Number of Cows | Count | 8,697,624 | 28 | 1128 | ||
18 | Cows (% of Total Cows) | Percent | 0 | 28 | 1130 | ||
19 | Number of Trees | Count | 15,642,617,148 | 30 | 1127 | ||
Below than World Average- |
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1 | Rice prod. | Tons | 6,981,685 | 102 | 1234 | ||
2 | Natural Gas Prod. | Million cubic meters | 216,389 | 77 | 1232 | ||
3 | Oil Prod. | Barrels/day | 4,369,531 | 86 | 1235 | ||
4 | Honey Produced /Total Honey Produced % | Weight | 0 | 77 | 1231 | ||
5 | Honey prod. | Tons | 16,211 | 77 | 1230 | ||
6 | Goat Meat Production (in tonnes) | Weight | 46,111 | 50 | 1232 | ||
7 | Goat Meat Production (% of Total Goat Meat Production) | Percent | 0 | 50 | 1230 | ||
8 | Barley prod. | Tons | 1,576,534 | 46 | 1231 | ||
9 | Sweet Potatoes prod. | Tons | 895,180 | 46 | 1235 | ||
10 | Barley Produced/Total Barley Produced.% | Weight | 1 | 46 | 1234 | ||
11 | Sweet Potatoes Produced/Total Sweet Potatoes Produced % | Weight | 0 | 45 | 1231 | ||
12 | Cotton Production (% of Total Cotton Production) | Percent | 1 | 40 | 1232 | ||
13 | Forest Area. | Area | 21,142,892 | 40 | 1234 | ||
14 | Country forest area / Global Forest area % | 0 | 39 | 1235 | |||
15 | Cotton Production (in 1000 480 lb. Bales) | Weight | 1,707 | 40 | 1233 | ||
16 | Wheat prod. | Tons | 6,698,590 | 39 | 1231 | ||
17 | Wheat Produced /Total Wheat Produced. %. | Weight | 0 | 38 | 1232 | ||
18 | Cow Milk Production (in tonnes) | Weight | 3,855,383 | 32 | 1234 | ||
19 | Cow Milk Production (% of Total Cow Milk Production) | Percent | 0 | 32 | 1230 | ||
20 | Onion prod. | Tons | 773,539 | 27 | 1233 | ||
21 | Onion Produced/Total Onion Produced % | Weight | 0 | 27 | 1234 | ||
22 | Potatoes Produced /Total Potatoes Produced % | Weight | 0 | 25 | 1230 | ||
23 | Potatoes prod. | Tons | 2,538,925 | 25 | 1231 | ||
24 | Sugarcane prod. | Tons | 52,039,862 | 13 | 1234 | ||
25 | Sugarcane Produced/Total Sugarcane Produced.% | Weight | 2 | 13 | 1232 | ||
26 | Soyabean prod. | Tons | 3,684,006 | 12 | 1235 | ||
27 | Soyabean Produced/Total Soyabean Produced % | Weight | 1 | 12 | 1234 | ||
28 | Uranium prod. | Tons | 2,516 | 11 | 1231 | ||
29 | Uranium Produced/Total Uranium Produced % | Weight | 5 | 11 | 1231 | ||
30 | Gold Prod. | Weight | 125 | 8 | 1230 | ||
31 | Gold Produced/Total Gold Produced %. | 4 | 8 | 1234 | |||
32 | Diamond prod. | Tons | 10 | 4 | 1231 | ||
33 | Diamond Produced/Total Diamond Produced % | Weight | 10 | 4 | 1235 |
Work Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Unemployment Rate. | % People | 7 | 2 | 1129 | ||
2 | Unemployed Labour Force. | # People | 1,511,199 | 3 | 1128 | ||
3 | Formal Jobs | # People | 10,605,934 | 18 | 1128 | ||
4 | Labour Force Participation | # People | 14,659,929 | 23 | 1126 | ||
5 | Total Labour Force (2021) | # People | 20,409,734 | 25 | 1126 | ||
6 | Employment in Services | # People | 10,251,634 | 25 | 1128 | ||
7 | Non-Agricultural Labour Force | # People | 15,067,127 | 25 | 1127 | ||
8 | Wage & Salaried Workers / Total Labour Force % | % People | 58 | 41 | 1128 | ||
9 | Employment in Services / Total Labour Force %. | % People | 56 | 74 | 1126 | ||
10 | Employment in services/Total Labour force %. | % People | 56 | 74 | 1125 | ||
11 | Employment in Services /Total pop.%. | % People | 25 | 74 | 1129 | ||
12 | Total Labour Force/Total Pop. | % People | 43 | 88 | 1130 | ||
13 | Non-Agri Labour force/Total Labour force %. | % People | 76 | 94 | 1125 | ||
Below than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Employment in Agri. / Total Labour Force % . | % People | 23 | 84 | 1231 | ||
2 | Employment in Agriculture/Total Labour force %. | % People | 23 | 84 | 1231 | ||
3 | Employment in Agriculture /Total Pop. %. | % People | 9 | 76 | 1231 | ||
4 | Employment in Agriculture | # People | 5,314,003 | 29 | 1233 |
Urbanization Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | # Cities>5M | # Cities | 0 | 9 | 1128 | ||
2 | # Cities>5M | # Cities | 0 | 11 | 1128 | ||
3 | # Cities>1M | # Cities | 1 | 17 | 1126 | ||
4 | Urban Population (2021) | # People | 23,726,053 | 20 | 1126 | ||
5 | # Cities>1M | # Cities | 2 | 20 | 1130 | ||
6 | # Cities>500000 | # Cities | 5 | 24 | 1127 | ||
7 | # Cities>300000 | # Cities | 7 | 25 | 1127 | ||
8 | # Cities>500000 | # Cities | 4 | 25 | 1125 | ||
9 | # Cities>300000 | # Cities | 8 | 29 | 1129 | ||
10 | Rural Pop. | # People | 18,013,759 | 29 | 1126 | ||
11 | # Cities>100000 | # Cities | 21 | 31 | 1127 | ||
12 | # Cities>100000 | # Cities | 23 | 32 | 1125 | ||
13 | Urban Population / Total Population % . | % People | 60 | 77 | 1129 | ||
14 | Pop. with access to Electricity (%) | % People | 86 | 139 | 1130 | ||
15 | Pop. without Electricity access | # People | 3,455,508 | 26 | 1130 | ||
Below than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Rural Pop. /Total Pop. % | % People | 40 | 119 | 1230 |
Media Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | # Phone Numbers /Total Pop. % | Percent | 101 | 10 | 1127 | ||
2 | # Mobile phone numbers | Count | 40,393,496 | 17 | 1125 |
Internet Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | LinkedIn users | # People | 6,388,891 | 17 | 1126 | ||
2 | LinkedIn Users as a % of Total LinkedIn Users | % People | 0 | 17 | 1128 | ||
3 | Internet Users | # People | 28,408,774 | 23 | 1129 | ||
4 | Facebook users | # People | 6,757,917 | 29 | 1127 | ||
5 | Facebook Users as a % of Total facebook Users | % People | 0 | 29 | 1126 | ||
6 | Twitter users | # People | 3,173,740 | 31 | 1127 | ||
7 | Twitter Users as a % of Total Twitter Users | % People | 0 | 31 | 1129 | ||
8 | Int. Users / Total Pop.% | % People | 70 | 108 | 1129 | ||
Below than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | FB Users / Total Int. Users %. | % People | 31 | 127 | 1234 | ||
2 | FB Users / Total Pop. %. | % People | 25 | 123 | 1230 | ||
3 | Facebook CPC in Rs. | Absolute | 5 | 117 | 1234 | ||
4 | Twitter Users as a % of Total Internet Users | % People | 14 | 100 | 1235 | ||
5 | Twitter Users as a % of Total Population | % People | 13 | 96 | 1235 | ||
6 | LinkedIn Users as a % of Total Population | % People | 31 | 74 | 1234 | ||
7 | LinkedIn Users as a % of Total Internet Users | % People | 35 | 67 | 1233 |
Governance Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Police Officers | # People | 138,224 | 22 | 1128 | ||
Below than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Military Force/Total Pop. % | % People | 1 | 140 | 1234 | ||
2 | Military Force/Total World Military Force %. | % People | 0 | 71 | 1231 | ||
3 | Total Military Force | # People | 358,465 | 73 | 1234 | ||
4 | Judges Per 100K | People Per 100K | 11 | 66 | 1231 | ||
5 | Military Budget (in Billion $) | $ Billion | 15 | 51 | 1235 | ||
6 | Military Budget/Total World Military Budget %. | Percent | 0 | 50 | 1233 | ||
7 | Lawyers Per 100K | People Per 100K | 160 | 34 | 1233 |
Education Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Total Literate Pop. | # People | 34,678,001 | 23 | 1125 | ||
2 | Literacy Rate (%) | % People | 86 | 102 | 1125 | ||
Below than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | # Students per teacher in secondary edu. | Ratio | 31 | 1 | 1234 | ||
2 | Enrolment in Tertiary Edu/Total Literate Pop. %. | % People | 9 | 108 | 1235 | ||
3 | Enrolment in Tertiary Edu./ Total Pop. %. | % People | 9 | 105 | 1232 | ||
4 | # Students per teacher in Primary edu. | Ratio | 260 | 74 | 1235 | ||
5 | Enrolment in Secondary Edu./Total Literate Pop. | % People | 28 | 72 | 1231 | ||
6 | Enrolment in Primary Edu./ Total Literate Pop %. | % People | 36 | 63 | 1235 | ||
7 | Enrolment in Secondary Edu./Total Pop %. | % People | 23 | 57 | 1234 | ||
8 | Enrolment in Primary Edu./Total Pop %. | % People | 27 | 53 | 1232 | ||
9 | Teachers in secondary edu. | # People | 659,923 | 36 | 1233 | ||
10 | Enrolment in tertiary edu.(all programmes) | # People | 4,618,191 | 35 | 1230 | ||
11 | # Total Students (Primary+Secondary+Tertiary) | # People | 38,831,325 | 19 | 1230 |
Demography Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Total Population (2025) | # People (In Thousands) | 42,003 | 24 | 1125 | ||
2 | Male Population (2025) | # People (In Thousands) | 21,226 | 24 | 1126 | ||
3 | Female Population (2025) | # People (In Thousands) | 20,993 | 24 | 1128 | ||
4 | Births | # People (In Thousands) | 681 | 24 | 1129 | ||
5 | Female % of Total Pop. | % People | 50 | 33 | 1130 | ||
6 | Population Growth Rate (%) | % People | 0 | 83 | 1127 | ||
7 | Total Deaths | # People (In Thousands) | 319 | 22 | 1126 | ||
Below than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Male % of Total Pop. | % People | 50 | 114 | 1231 |
Wealth Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Import Ban(Number of products) | Count | 12 | 27 | 1127 | ||
2 | FDI (millions USD) | Amount | 3,115 | 49 | 1125 | ||
3 | FDI / Total FDI of the World %. | 0 | 49 | 1127 | |||
4 | Corporate Tax Rates in % | Rate | 23 | 62 | 1127 | ||
Below than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Imports /Total GDP of the Country %. | 53 | 116 | 1235 | |||
2 | GDP Per Capita (USD) | $ | 30,070 | 106 | 1235 | ||
3 | Exports/Total GDP of the Country %. | 46 | 96 | 1232 | |||
4 | Import of Goods and Services (in Million $) | Amount | 183,299 | 41 | 1233 | ||
5 | Export of Goods and Services (in Million $) | Amount | 186,399 | 41 | 1230 | ||
6 | Imports/Total Imports of the World %. | 0 | 41 | 1230 | |||
7 | Exports /Total Exports of the World %. | 0 | 40 | 1233 | |||
8 | GDP (Billions USD) 2025 | $ Billions | 613 | 39 | 1233 | ||
9 | GDP as a % of Total GDP | Percent | 0 | 38 | 1232 | ||
10 | No. of Companies Listed in NYSE | Count | 65 | 17 | 1231 |
Health Metrics
Sr. | Title | Metric | World Average | Rank out of 195 | Value | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Above than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | No. of people HIV infected/Total pop. | # People | 5,202 | 1 | 1127 | ||
Below than World Average- |
|||||||
1 | Life Expectancy at Birth, both sexes | Age | 73 | 161 | 1233 | ||
2 | Total No. of Pharmacists | # People | 19,528 | 68 | 1233 | ||
3 | Total No. of Doctors | # People | 78,648 | 44 | 1234 |
LANGUAGES
- Official Language:
- 1. English
: 5,800,000
- 2. Northern Sotho
: 4,700,000
Mother Tongue : English
Literacy Rate (%) : 95.00
Country Capital | : | Pretoria |
---|---|---|
GDP Per capita | : | 16,009 |
GDP Per Capita Rank | : | 106th/195 |
Life Expectancy | : | 66 |
Unemployment Rate | : | 32 |
Number of Internet Users | : | 47,530,029 |
Internet Users Rank | : | 23rd/195 |
Area | : | 1,220,807 |
Area Rank | : | 23rd/195 |
Total Population | : | 64,747 |
Total Population Rank | : | 24th/195 |
List of cities having more than 100K population in South Africa
Sr. | City | Total City Population (2023) |
---|---|---|
1 | Benoni | 178,997 |
2 | Bloemfontein | 523,767 |
3 | Botshabelo | 204,840 |
4 | Cape Town | 3,867,941 |
5 | Carletonville | 168,088 |
6 | Durban | 3,140,799 |
7 | East London | 333,245 |
8 | Embalenhle | 134,042 |
9 | Evaton | 682,611 |
10 | George | 177,445 |
11 | Johannesburg | 8,861,879 |
12 | Kimberley | 253,879 |
13 | Klerksdorp | 213,633 |
14 | Ladysmith | 134,944 |
15 | Mdantsane | 193,341 |
16 | Middelburg | 184,660 |
17 | Mthatha | 155,123 |
18 | Newcastle | 328,623 |
19 | Paarl | 222,877 |
20 | Pietermaritzburg | 535,717 |
21 | Polokwane | 256,360 |
22 | Port Elizabeth | 988,010 |
23 | Potchefstroom | 167,750 |
24 | Pretoria | 1,987,858 |
25 | Rustenburg | 351,621 |
26 | Sasolburg | 127,842 |
27 | Somerset West | 211,942 |
28 | Soshanguve | 820,824 |
29 | Stanger | 151,629 |
30 | Uitenhage | 273,834 |
31 | Vereeniging | 426,026 |
32 | Welkom | 237,871 |
33 | Witbank | 351,395 |
Frequently Asked Questions :
Q - Does Prarang do surveys to collect data? How does Prarang have such granular Country-level details which no private or public data source offers?
A - Prarang does not conduct surveys to gather data; instead, we rely on publicly available sources such as UN Population data, the CIA World Factbook, and private surveys whose results are accessible through news media and public websites. Our data classification follows a three-fold method rooted in Indian logic (Tarkashastra): Pramana (evidence-based data collection) involves gathering data from credible sources; Anumana (estimation and inference) uses modeling to draw inferences from the collected data; and Upamana (comparison) ranks countries through relative comparison, calculating the Samana (country average) to determine whether each country ranks above or below this benchmark. All data sources and estimation modeling methods are transparently detailed and accessible, with information available for each data field by clicking the "i" icon.
Q - Does Prarang take responsibility for the absolute data fields that someone buys from it, along with the calculation of the associated ranks?
A - Prarang does not do any surveys. It does data modeling & estimations based on third-party census & surveys, already in the public domain. It also shares the source of the data it uses. Users need to make their own judgment of how and for what purpose and when they use the data that they download from this Prarang website.
Q - What is the frequency of data updates on various data fields of Prarang analytics?
A - We are continuously on the lookout for market announcements of new surveys & new data. You can expect important World survey results to be live on our website, within 30 to 45 days after appearing in press/media. We model on spreadsheets & update our SQL databases, after data validation.