Earlier this year government confirmed that a national census would be conducted as an accurate number for the country’s population is sought. The final tally from said census are yet to be counted, but Statistics South Africa has still been able to estimate the current figure at 60.6 million.

The organisation says this figure is part of its mid-year population estimate (MYPE) and is taken as of the end of June 2022.

Stats SA also noted that, despite the most recent impact of COVID-19 in South Africa, the past decade has seen a positive year-on-year population growth.

Added to this is a slight improvement on life expectancy in the country, with it rising from 61.7 years in 2021 to 62.8 years in 2022. While this is good to see, there is no doubt that more needs to be done in order to improve this figure in coming years.

“As the nation grappled with the pandemic, it brought attention not only to the importance of health care and other social services required by people, but also to the age profile of the population and the vulnerability of key populations in the country,” noted Stats SA in its findings.

“The elderly population, who are more vulnerable to having comorbidities, are more likely to experience the devastating effects of COVID-19. The vast number of deaths within this age group occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a drastic decline in the growth rate (1,47%) of the elderly population,” it added.

The organisation also highlighted the impact that the HIV/AIDS pandemic has had on the country in terms of population growth, with it expected to continue to have a dramatic effect in the coming decades until a viable cure and more preventative measures are found.

Along with loss of life, the HIV/AIDS pandemic also cripples the country in terms of adults who are able to work and contribute to SA’s economy, along with supporting younger generations.

“This is not the first pandemic that South Africa has had to endure. South Africa has paid a large price demographically due to the AIDS pandemic. In conjunction with losing economically active adults due to HIV/ AIDS deaths, which impacted negatively on the demographic dividend, infant and child mortality reduced overall life expectancy in the country for a number of years,” emphasised Stats SA.

As this is only a mid-year estimate, the finalised census data including the numbers gathered this year, will be shared in a finalised estimate in 2023.

[Image – Photo by Shaun Meintjes on Unsplash]