In mid-2014 South Africa’s total population was estimated at 53.7
million people, of whom 18.5 million were children (under 18 years).
Children therefore constitute 34% of the total population.
It is not uncommon in South Africa for children to live separately
from their biological parents and in the care of other relatives. The
distribution of children across provinces is slightly different to that of
adults, with a greater proportion of children living in provinces with
large rural populations and with greater proportions of adults in the
largely metropolitan provinces. Together, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern
Cape and Limpopo accommodate almost half of all children in South
Africa. A further 19% of children live in Gauteng, a mainly metropolitan
province, and 10% of children in the Western Cape. Despite being
the smallest province in the country, Gauteng accommodates more
than a quarter of all households and adults, but less than a fifth of
children. This is because of the relatively large number of adult-only
households in that province.