South Africa
Country in Africa
In brief
Population: 64.7M (2025). World rank 24 of 216; in Africa, 6 of 54. Area: 1,221,037 km². World rank 26 of 249; in Africa, 9 of 59. Life expectancy: 66.3 years (2024). World rank 182 of 216 (1 = best); in Africa, 24 of 54. From 2015 to 2025: population 56.7M → 64.7M, GDP $346.7B → $427.2B, and GDP per person $6,112 → $6,598.
State
- Official name
- Republic of South Africa
- Local name
- South Africa
- Capital
- Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Parliamentary republic
- UN member
- Yes
Key figures
Practical information
- Languages
- Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
- Currency
- South African Rand (ZAR)
- Time zones
- UTC+2
- Calling code
- +27
- Emergency numbers
- 112
- Driving side
- Left
- Plug types
- C, D, N
- Mains voltage
- 230 V