Population · Chart
The Western Cape gained 319,053 more people than it lost between 2021 and 2026
500,093people Moved into the Western Cape · Highest
Nearly three people arrived for every one who left, and the largest single stream came from the Eastern Cape.
From our storiesWhat are Cape Town biggest challenges in 2026?Read the full story →
Method and sources
Each bar is the number of people recorded moving into or out of the Western Cape between 2021 and 2026, as reported in the article.
Moved into the Western Cape: 500,093. Moved out of the Western Cape: 181,040. The net gain is 319,053.
The article gives the largest streams into the province as the Eastern Cape with 171,525 people and Gauteng with 114,773.
The article gives only the span 2021 to 2026, so the period runs from 1 January 2021 to the mid-year point of the 2026 estimates, 30 June 2026.
Sources: Statistics South Africa, Mid-Year Population Estimates 2026 (https://www.statssa.gov.za/)
Figures as published in our article on Cape Town's biggest challenges in 2026 (chart last checked 14 September 2026): Stats SA Mid-Year Population Estimates 2026, released 30 July 2026. Link to the publisher, not the exact table.
Chart updated · 3 Oct 2026. The observation dates above describe the data, not today’s conditions.
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