Population nears 56 million

THE population of South Africa has reached 55.91 million, with just more than half being female (51%).

That was according to the midyear population estimate released by Stats SA yesterday. Gauteng has the largest share, about 13.5 million (24%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 11.1 million (19.9%).

Africans account for 80.7% of the population; coloureds 8.8%; whites 8.1%; and Indians 2.5%.

Stats SA found that about 30.1% of the population is aged younger than 15 years, and 8% is 60 years or older. Life expectancy at birth for this year is estimated at 59.7 years for males and 65.1 years for females.

The infant mortality rate for this year was estimated at 33.7 per 1 000 live births.

The estimated overall HIV prevalence rate is about 12.7% of the population, with an estimated 7.03 million living with the disease this year. – Daily News Reporter