South Africa (ZAF)

South Africa is a country in Africa with a population of 60,842,425. South Africa's history is profoundly shaped by its incredibly diverse indigenous populations, and the subsequent arrival of Dutch and British settlers, leading to a complex blending of people groups and cultures. The discovery of diamonds and gold significantly transformed its economy, attracting further immigration. This rich history has created a vibrant tapestry of languages, cultural expressions, and spiritual beliefs, with Christianity being the predominant faith for many, but also strong traditions of African Traditional Religions, Islam, and Hinduism, reflecting a truly multicultural society.

People Groups of South Africa:

South Africa Fast Facts:

Total People Groups:39
Total Population:60,842,425
Unengaged and Unreached:
People Groups:2
Population:638,000
Engaged yet Unreached:
People Groups:17
Population:16,378,525
No Longer Unreached:
People Groups:20
Population:43,825,900

South Africa Realities:

Weighted GSEC: 4  
Dying Daily: 1532  
Dying Daily without Christ: 1436  
Birth Rate: 18.9  
Death Rate: 9.4

People Groups of South Africa

Strategic Progress Index
All

39 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
ZuluZuluSouth Africa14,420,000No Longer UnreachedZuluProtestantism
XhosaXhosaSouth Africa9,975,000Engaged yet UnreachedXhosaEthnoreligion
Southern SothoSouthern SothoSouth Africa5,435,000No Longer UnreachedSouthern SothoProtestantism
Northern SothoNorthern SothoSouth Africa4,300,000No Longer UnreachedPediProtestantism
TswanaTswanaSouth Africa4,240,000Engaged yet UnreachedTswanaEthnoreligion
ColouredsColouredsSouth Africa3,115,000No Longer UnreachedAfrikaansProtestantism
AfrikanersAfrikanersSouth Africa2,710,000No Longer UnreachedAfrikaansNeo-Pentecostalism
Tsonga-ShangaanTsonga-ShangaanSouth Africa2,630,000No Longer UnreachedTsongaProtestantism
BritishBritishSouth Africa2,215,000No Longer UnreachedEnglishUnaffiliated
SwaziSwaziSouth Africa1,495,000No Longer UnreachedSwatiProtestantism
Indian HindusIndian HindusSouth Africa1,375,000No Longer UnreachedHindiHinduism
VendaVendaSouth Africa1,255,000No Longer UnreachedVendaProtestantism
PortuguesePortugueseSouth Africa1,090,000Engaged yet UnreachedPortugueseRoman Catholicism
PondoPondoSouth Africa1,030,000No Longer UnreachedXhosaEthnoreligion
TembuTembuSouth Africa935,000No Longer UnreachedXhosaEthnoreligion
Southern NdebeleSouthern NdebeleSouth Africa879,000No Longer UnreachedSouth NdebeleProtestantism
Deaf South AfricansDeaf South AfricansSouth Africa596,000Engaged yet UnreachedSouth African Sign LanguageProtestantism
GermansGermansSouth Africa580,000No Longer UnreachedGermanUnaffiliated
ShonaShonaSouth Africa436,000No Longer UnreachedShonaProtestantism
South African MuslimsSouth African MuslimsSouth Africa389,000Unengaged and UnreachedEnglishSunni Islam
Han ChineseHan ChineseSouth Africa374,000No Longer UnreachedMandarin ChineseConfucianism
DutchDutchSouth Africa312,000No Longer UnreachedDutchUnaffiliated
Indian ChristiansIndian ChristiansSouth Africa312,000No Longer UnreachedEnglishProtestantism
Cape MalaysCape MalaysSouth Africa249,000Unengaged and UnreachedAfrikaansSunni Islam
Indian MuslimsIndian MuslimsSouth Africa167,000Engaged yet UnreachedEnglishSunni Islam
NamaNamaSouth Africa99,500Engaged yet UnreachedKhoekhoeEthnoreligion
JewsJewsSouth Africa71,500Engaged yet UnreachedEnglishJudaism
Indo-MauritiansIndo-MauritiansSouth Africa62,500Engaged yet UnreachedMorisyenHinduism
TswaTswaSouth Africa31,000Engaged yet UnreachedTswaEthnoreligion
Vlax RomaniVlax RomaniSouth Africa18,500Engaged yet UnreachedVlax RomaniEthnoreligion
KoranaKoranaSouth Africa18,500Engaged yet UnreachedKhoekhoeEthnoreligion
ArabsArabsSouth Africa16,000No Longer UnreachedStandard ArabicSunni Islam
Gimsbok NamaGimsbok NamaSouth Africa6,200Engaged yet UnreachedKhoekhoeEthnoreligion
ZanzibariZanzibariSouth Africa1,900No Longer UnreachedSwahili (individual language)Ethnoreligion
RongaRongaSouth Africa1,100Engaged yet UnreachedRongaEthnoreligion
NghukiNghukiSouth Africa800Engaged yet UnreachedKhoekhoeEthnoreligion
NusanNusanSouth Africa500Engaged yet Unreached!XóõAnimism
XegwiXegwiSouth Africa300Engaged yet UnreachedAfrikaansEthnoreligion
GriquaGriquaSouth Africa125Engaged yet UnreachedKhoekhoeEthnoreligion

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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