Cape Town in numbers
Charts on Cape Town's crime, water, weather, property, energy and more. Every chart has a source.
306,000applications April 2024 · Highest
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The queue fell from 306,000 applications to roughly 18,000, and was declared eradicated in early 2025.
Source: Department of Home Affairs · All bars start at zero
500,093people Moved into the Western Cape · Highest
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Nearly three people arrived for every one who left, and the largest single stream came from the Eastern Cape.
Source: Statistics South Africa · All bars start at zero
66.9% eThekwini · Highest
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Close to half of Cape Town lives below the line, which is the best figure of any South African metro.
Source: Statistics South Africa · All bars start at zero
164.5thousand applications 2026 · Highest
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The 2026 intake added 12,500 applications in a single year, more than double the yearly rise of the three years before it.
Source: Western Cape Education Department · All bars start at zero
181,672people Undocumented · Highest
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Undocumented arrivals lead at 181,672, followed by overstays at 134,221 and document failures at 128,883.
Source: Border Management Authority · All bars start at zero
57,784deportations 2025/26 · Highest
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Deportations rose by about 46% in two years. The 2026 enforcement drive continued a trend that had already started.
Source: Department of Home Affairs and Border Management Authority · All bars start at zero
306,000applications Visa applications · Highest
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The visa backlog was the biggest at 306,000 applications. Clearing it made later changes possible, such as dropping the medical report requirement.
Source: Department of Home Affairs · All bars start at zero
38% University+ · Highest
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38% of university-educated adults had considered emigrating, almost four times the 10% of those with primary schooling.
Source: Afrobarometer · All bars start at zero
48% 2006 · Highest
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The share fell from 48% in 2006 to 24% in 2016 and 17% in 2023, a drop of 31 percentage points.
Source: National Reading Barometer · All bars start at zero
52% Free State · Highest
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Free State led at 52.0%, the Western Cape followed at 49.2%, and Northern Cape was lowest at 36.2%.
Source: Department of Basic Education and Western Cape Education Department · All bars start at zero
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