How Many People Are Really in South Africa? A Look Behind the SIM Card Numbers
How Many People Are Really in South Africa? A Look Behind the SIM Card Numbers
In a hyper-connected world, it’s easy to confuse the number of mobile connections with the number of people. South Africa is a prime example, namely in early 2025, the country had 124 million active SIM cards—nearly double the population. So, given this large number of active SIM cards, how many people are actually living in South Africa, and what does this digital saturation really mean?
According to DataReportal’s 2025 Digital Report, South Africa had:
- 124 million active cellular mobile connections. That’s 193% of the total population—almost two SIMs per person.
- 50.8 million internet users representing 78.9% of the population.
- 26.7 million social media user identities which is equivalent to 41.5% of the population.
These numbers paint a picture of a digitally engaged society—but they also raise questions about how we interpret connectivity data.
So, How Many People Are Really in South Africa?
As of mid-2025, the actual population is estimated to be about 63.1 million (Statistics South Africa), 63.9 million (Bureau of Market Research) or 64.7 million (Worldometer). Statistics South Africa provides official national estimates based on local census and population data, the Bureau of Market Research use a cohort component population projection model for population estimates based on mortality, fertility and migration assumptions of greatest likelihood, while Worldometer makes use of global models and UN projections, which may include broader assumptions about migration and fertility.
All three these sources of population statistics are credible but for the purposes of this blog post the middle of these three estimates, namely that of the BMR of 63.9 million will be used as the population estimate of greatest likelihood.
So, if the population is ‘only’ 63.9 million, why are there so many SIM cards?
It is important to take note of the fact that 124 million SIM cards don’t mean there are 124 million people. Here’s why:
- Multiple SIMs per person: Many South Africans use more than one SIM—for work, personal use, or to access different data plans.
- eSIM technology: Makes it easier to switch between networks or maintain multiple profiles on one device.
- Machine-to-machine (M2M) connections: SIMs are used in smart meters, vehicles, and IoT devices.
- Inactive or dormant SIMs: Some are registered but not actively used.
If we subtract the population (63.9 million) from the number of SIMs (124 million), we get 60.1 million extra SIMs. Assuming each multi-SIM user has two SIMs, that suggests around 30 million people—nearly half the population—use more than one SIM card.
It thus appears that The SIM card count is not a population count. It reflects digital behavior, not headcount. South Africa’s real population is around 63.9 million, but its digital footprint is much larger—highlighting a society that is deeply connected, mobile-first, and increasingly reliant on technology.
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