1960 South African census
# 1960 South African census

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

## Results

### Demographics

Population change in the South Africa by province :

| 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 :

| 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

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.

Largest urban areas: total population :

| 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 |
