The National Census of 1960 was the 5th[2] comprehensive national census of the Union of South Africa. It undertook to enumerate every person present in South Africa on the census night of 6 September 1960.[3]

1960 National Census

← 1951 6 September 1960 (1960-09-06) 1970 →

General information
CountryUnion of South Africa
Results
Total population15,994,000[1] (Increase 26.2%)
Most populous ​regionTransvaal
Least populous ​regionOrange Free State

Pre-enumeration

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Enumeration

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Post-enumeration survey

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Results

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Demographics

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Population change in the South Africa by province[4]
Province 1951 Census 1960 Census Difference Percentage difference
Cape of Good Hope 4,227,000 5,360,000 1,133,000 26.80% 
Natal 2,415,000 2,977,000 562,000 23.27% 
Transvaal 4,813,000 6,271,000 1,458,000 30.29% 
Orange Free State 1,017,000 1,366,000 349,000 34.32% 
Total 12,671,000 15,994,000 3,323,000 26.23% 
Population change in the South Africa by race[4]
Race (census term) 1951 Census 1960 Census Difference Percentage difference
Black African (Bantu) 8,560,000 10,928,000 2,368,000 27.66% 
Coloured 1,103,000 1,509,000 406,000 36.81% 
Asian or Indian (Asiatic) 367,000 477,000 110,000 29.97% 
White 2,642,000 3,080,000 438,000 16.58% 
Total 12,671,000 15,994,000 3,323,000 26.23% 

City rankings

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Statistics collected during the Apartheid era are regarded as unreliable with regard to measuring African populations. This is because the Native Areas Amendment Bill and the Group Areas Act tended to skew official statistics and underestimate the number of people living in urban areas.[5]

Largest urban areas: total population[4]
City/Town Province Population
Johannesburg Transvaal 1,152,525
Cape Town Cape of Good Hope 807,211
Durban Natal 681,492
Pretoria Transvaal 422,590
Port Elizabeth Cape of Good Hope 290,693
Germiston Transvaal 214,393
Bloemfontein Orange Free State 145,273
Springs Transvaal 141,943
Benoni Transvaal 140,790
Pietermaritzburg Natal 128,598
East London Cape of Good Hope 116,056
Welkom Orange Free State 97,614
Roodepoort Transvaal 95,211
Krugersdorp Transvaal 89,947
Kimberley Cape of Good Hope 79,031
Vereeniging Transvaal 78,835
Brakpan Transvaal 77,777
Boksburg Transvaal 71,029
Carletonville Transvaal 56,246
Uitenhage Cape of Good Hope 48,755
Klerksdorp Transvaal 43,726
Kroonstad Orange Free State 42,438
Potchefstroom Transvaal 41,927
Paarl Cape of Good Hope 41,540
Randfontein Transvaal 41,499
Vanderbijlpark Transvaal 41,415
Virginia Orange Free State 40,359
Nigel Transvaal 34,008
Queenstown Cape of Good Hope 33,182
Grahamstown Cape of Good Hope 32,611
Worcester Cape of Good Hope 32,274
Pietersburg Transvaal 28,071
Westonaria Transvaal 26,640
Witbank Transvaal 25,881
Bethlehem Orange Free State 24,125
Ladysmith Natal 22,955
Orkney Cape of Good Hope 22,425
Stellenbosch Cape of Good Hope 22,955
Oudtshoorn Cape of Good Hope 22,229
Odendaalsrus Orange Free State 21,268
Rustenburg Cape of Good Hope 21,016
Upington Cape of Good Hope 20,366

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Official Year Book: Republic of South Africa 1966. Pretoria: Republic of South Africa. 1966.
  2. ^ "Census in South Africa | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  3. ^ "South Africa - Population Census 1960". catalog.ihsn.org. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Official Year Book of the Republic of South Africa 1966. Pretoria: Republic of South Africa. 1966.
  5. ^ "Census in South Africa | South African History Online". www.sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 4 July 2022.