The latest Census results show that the South African population grew to 62 million in 2022.
Gauteng remains the province with the highest population (15 million), while Northern Cape has the smallest population at 1,3 million.
The Western Cape has moved from being the 5th-largest province in terms of population size in 1996 to being the 3rd largest in 2022.
President Cyril Ramaphosa accepted the census results from the Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke on Tuesday in a ceremony held at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
Census 2022 was the fourth census since the advent of democracy, with the other three being conducted in 1996, 2001 and 2011.
This was the first-ever digital census in South Africa, conducted using the three collection modes;
•Face-to-face(Computer Assisted Personal Interviews), the data collection method where the interviewer uses a tablet, mobile phone or a computer to record answers given during the interview.
• Telephonic (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing), an act of research that relies on an interviewer reading a questionnaire set up on a computer screen, before putting the participants answers as they go.) and
• Online (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing), a web survey that is part of a methodology based on a questionnaire provided to the respondent with a link, a panel or a website.
Census 2022 data collection started on census reference night, 02 February 2022, and ended in May 2022, with provinces finishing at different times.
Censuses in South Africa were traditionally conducted in October but due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the census had to be postponed to February 2022.
Census 2022 was affected by challenges such as riots, ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns and climate change issues such as flooding in some parts of the country.
The data collected will be disseminated in phases.
Phase 1, which launched recently gives users access to a range of indicators at national, provincial and municipal level, while Phase 2 will include electronic products such as the Community Profiles and more in-depth reports on particular themes.
The department of Statistics South Africa says census data is an important data source used for planning and evidence based decision making by government and various sectors of society.
The census population count provides data on the demographic, economic and social makeup of the country.
In addition, findings from censuses are key in tracking service delivery programmes over time.
It adds that census is a collaborative effort that requires the participation of all community members and the support of the media in disseminating critical information.