Children under age 5 in South Africa
South Africa: Children under age 5 was 5.89 million in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
5.89 million
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
24th
of 236 countries
All-time high
5.89 million
in 2023
All-time low
2.15 million
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Children under age 5 in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for children under age 5 in South Africa is 5.89 million, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, children under age 5 in South Africa peaked at 5.89 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.15 million, in 1950.
South Africa ranks 24th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Children under age 5 in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.15 million | — |
| 1951 | 2.19 million | +1.8% |
| 1952 | 2.23 million | +1.9% |
| 1953 | 2.27 million | +1.8% |
| 1954 | 2.32 million | +2.2% |
| 1955 | 2.38 million | +2.8% |
| 1956 | 2.45 million | +2.8% |
| 1957 | 2.52 million | +2.8% |
| 1958 | 2.59 million | +2.7% |
| 1959 | 2.65 million | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 2.72 million | +2.6% |
| 1961 | 2.80 million | +2.7% |
| 1962 | 2.88 million | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 2.96 million | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 3.05 million | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 3.14 million | +3.1% |
| 1966 | 3.25 million | +3.3% |
| 1967 | 3.36 million | +3.4% |
| 1968 | 3.47 million | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 3.59 million | +3.3% |
| 1970 | 3.70 million | +3.2% |
| 1971 | 3.81 million | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 3.91 million | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 4.01 million | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 4.09 million | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 4.17 million | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 4.24 million | +1.7% |
| 1977 | 4.30 million | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 4.35 million | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 4.41 million | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 4.51 million | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 4.65 million | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 4.82 million | +3.7% |
| 1983 | 5.01 million | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 5.18 million | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 5.34 million | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 5.49 million | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 5.64 million | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 5.75 million | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 5.81 million | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 5.80 million | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 5.73 million | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 5.66 million | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 5.55 million | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 5.48 million | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 5.48 million | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 5.48 million | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 5.44 million | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 5.33 million | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 5.24 million | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 5.13 million | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 5.00 million | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 4.89 million | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 4.83 million | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 4.83 million | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 4.89 million | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 5.01 million | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 5.16 million | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 5.35 million | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 5.50 million | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 5.58 million | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 5.63 million | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 5.67 million | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 5.65 million | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 5.65 million | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5.71 million | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 5.73 million | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 5.66 million | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 5.58 million | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 5.54 million | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 5.57 million | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 5.70 million | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 5.83 million | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 5.89 million | +1.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 5.89 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 447,677, 13.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 5.89 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.19 million, 2.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.37 million | 2.15 million | 2.65 million | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.12 million | 2.72 million | 3.59 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.10 million | 3.70 million | 4.41 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.22 million | 4.51 million | 5.81 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.52 million | 5.24 million | 5.80 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.06 million | 4.83 million | 5.50 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.64 million | 5.54 million | 5.73 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.75 million | 5.57 million | 5.89 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is children under age 5 in South Africa?
- Children under age 5 in South Africa was 5.89 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest children under age 5 recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.89 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest children under age 5 recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.15 million in 1950.
- How does South Africa rank for children under age 5?
- South Africa ranks 24th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is children under age 5 rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Children under age 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).