Sub-Saharan Africa · ZA
Generation Alpha & Beta
in South Africa
How many of each cohort South Africa has, how fast the next one is arriving, and what the fertility rate, median age and school system mean for both.
South Africa has approximately 17 million Generation Alpha people (born 2010–2024), about 26.6% of its population, and roughly 1.9 million Generation Beta children born since 2025. Its fertility rate is 2.2 and its child population is roughly flat, projected -2% by 2040.
Births since 1 January 2025 at South Africa's own rate, less infant mortality. At 3,014 births a day it climbs steadily rather than visibly.
Born 2010–2024 — 26.6% of the population, aged 2–16 this year.
About 3,014 births a day, all of them Generation Beta.
Smaller than the Alpha cohort of 17 million.
Size of the Generation Alpha cohort
Share of the population under 15
Total fertility rate
Child population to 2040 (−2%)
South Africa against the world average
Key dates for South Africa
9 compulsory years from age 7.
Born on 1 January 2025, they reach South Africa's starting age of 7.
Under-15s change by −2% against today.
Eighteen years after the cohort opened.
The cohort closes on 31 December 2039; its youngest members enter school here.
School dates follow South Africa's own starting age of 7 and 9 compulsory years, so they differ from the global figures on our Generation Beta page.
Every figure on this page
South Africa in 20 numbers
| Indicator | South Africa | World average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 64.0 million | — | #24 of 194 |
| Generation Alpha (born 2010–2024) | 17 million | — | #23 of 194 |
| Gen Alpha share of population | 26.6% | — | #77 of 194 |
| Projected Gen Beta births 2025–39 | 14 million | — | #31 of 194 |
| Births per year | 1.1 million | — | #25 of 194 |
| Births per day | 3,014 | — | #25 of 194 |
| Under-15 share of population | 28% | 25% | #72 of 194 |
| Total fertility rate | 2.2 | 2.2 | #76 of 194 |
| Median age | 28 years | 31 years | #117 of 194 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 65 years | 73 years | #165 of 194 |
| Urban population | 68% | 58% | #88 of 194 |
| Internet use | 75% | 68% | #109 of 192 |
| Secondary school completion | 55% | 60% | #140 of 189 |
| School starting age | age 7 | — | #1 of 194 |
| Compulsory years of schooling | 9 years | — | #109 of 194 |
| Daily screen time, ages 8–12 | 3.4 hours | — | #29 of 42 |
| Cost of raising a child to 18 | $48k | — | #26 of 61 |
| Under-15 population change to 2040 | −2% | — | #70 of 194 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 43 per 100 adults | — | #73 of 194 |
| Mobile connections per 100 people | 165 | — | #14 of 194 |
Rank is out of the 194 countries profiled here and always runs highest first — so #1 on median age is the oldest country, not the youngest. World averages are population-weighted global figures and are shown only where a comparable one exists. Sources: UN World Population Prospects, World Bank Open Data, UNESCO and ITU, via our sources page.
1950 to 2023, with the UN projection to 2030
South Africa birth rate and fertility rate by year
About 1.2 million babies were born in South Africa in 2023, and women had 2.22 children on average. Since 1950, births peaked in 2008 at about 1.2 million. Fertility has stayed above the replacement level of 2.1 in every year since 1950. Annual births are 17% higher than in 2000.
Fertility rate (children per woman)
Births per year
Thousands of births. Dashed: UN medium-variant projection.
| Year | Births | Fertility rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 534,100 | 6.03 |
| 1960 | 654,600 | 6.11 |
| 1970 | 877,300 | 5.63 |
| 1980 | 1 million | 4.78 |
| 1990 | 1.2 million | 3.72 |
| 2000 | 1 million | 2.41 |
| 2010 | 1.2 million | 2.44 |
| 2015 | 1.2 million | 2.36 |
| 2020 | 1.2 million | 2.26 |
| 2021 | 1.2 million | 2.25 |
| 2022 | 1.2 million | 2.23 |
| 2023 | 1.2 million | 2.22 |
| 2025 projected | 1.2 million | 2.19 |
| 2030 projected | 1.1 million | 2.10 |
UN World Population Prospects 2024, republished by Our World in Data. Years to 2023 are UN estimates, which can differ from a country's own registered counts; later years are the UN medium-variant projection. Every country is ranked on fertility rate by country.
Regional peers
Elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nigeria
95 million Generation Alpha
Ethiopia
48 million Generation Alpha
DR Congo
44 million Generation Alpha
Tanzania
28 million Generation Alpha
Kenya
19 million Generation Alpha
Uganda
20 million Generation Alpha
Sudan
19 million Generation Alpha
Angola
15 million Generation Alpha
Run the numbers yourself
Tools that use this data
Gen Beta by Country Forecast
Where the 2.1 billion Betas will be born, and which countries shrink instead.
Under-15 Share by Country
The countries where Alpha and Beta make up the largest share of the population.
Global Child Population Table
Where the world's children are, ranked by region, with the direction each one is…
Median Age Calculator
What a country's median age implies about its Alpha and Beta share, its dependency…
School-Age Population Forecast
How many children will be of school age in any year, globally or nationally.
Where a tool takes a number it opens prefilled with South Africa's own figure rather than the world one, and every input stays editable. The rest are the same ranked tables for every country.
Frequently asked about South Africa
How many Gen Alpha are there in South Africa?
Approximately 17 million people born between 2010 and 2024 live in South Africa, about 26.6% of the population.
How many Gen Beta children are there in South Africa?
Roughly 1.9 million children have been born in South Africa since 1 January 2025, growing by about 125 every hour.
What is the fertility rate in South Africa?
South Africa has a total fertility rate of 2.2 children per woman, against a replacement level of 2.1 and a world average of about 2.2.
At what age do children start school in South Africa?
Compulsory schooling begins at age 7 in South Africa, and runs for 9 years.
Is the child population in South Africa growing or shrinking?
It is roughly flat. The under-15 population is projected to change by -2% between now and 2040.
How many babies are born in South Africa each year?
About 1.2 million in 2023, according to UN estimates, down from a peak of about 1.2 million in 2008 (the highest since 1950). The UN projects about 1.1 million in 2030.
How has the fertility rate in South Africa changed over time?
It was 6.03 children per woman in 1950 and 2.22 in 2023. It has not fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 in any year since 1950.
AlphaBetaMinds (2026). Generation Alpha and Generation Beta in South Africa. Retrieved from https://alphabetaminds.com/countries/south-africa
The printed sheet keeps the headline numbers, the world comparison, the key dates, the full indicator table and this citation, and drops the navigation, the tools and the FAQ. It fits a page or two and needs no login.
Free to reproduce, commercially or not, with a credit and a link. Figures are estimates for 2025–2026 and are updated when the underlying sources are.