| no. | Name | census 1996 | census 2001 | estimate 2007 | calculation 2013 | area (km²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Cape | 6 302 525 | 6 436 763 | 6 906 373 | 7 194 728 | 169 580 |
| 2 | Free State | 2 633 504 | 2 706 775 | 2 965 679 | 3 132 804 | 129 480 |
| 3 | Gauteng | 7 348 423 | 8 837 178 | 9 688 189 | 10 712 070 | 17 010 |
| 4 | KwaZulu Natal | 8 417 021 | 9 426 017 | 10 014 393 | 10 620 589 | 92 100 |
| 5 | Limpopo | 4 929 368 | 5 273 642 | 5 403 190 | 5 555 648 | 123 910 |
| 6 | Mpumalanga | 2 800 711 | 3 122 990 | 3 536 211 | 3 905 259 | 79 490 |
| 7 | Northern Cape | 840 321 | 822 727 | 1 101 883 | 1 319 639 | 361 830 |
| 8 | North West | 3 354 825 | 3 669 349 | 3 394 376 | 3 290 613 | 116 320 |
| 9 | Western Cape | 3 956 875 | 4 524 335 | 4 839 766 | 5 274 596 | 129 370 |
| South Africa | 40 583 573 | 44 819 778 | 47 850 060 | 51 005 946 | 1 219 090 |
