As of the
2022 census, the Free State had a population of 2,961,864, an increase of 8.0% from the prior census in
2011. It recorded the slowest population growth among South Africa's nine provinces between 2011 and 2022. It is also the second-least populous and second-least densely populated province. The median age is 28, an increase of 3 years from 2011.
Race/Ethnicity In the 2022 census, 88.9% of the population described themselves as
Black African, 8.0% as
White, 2.6% as
Coloured, and 0.4% as
Indian/Asian. Of the 142,679 people in 1904, only 60% were born in the province. Of the 2,726
European immigrants born in non-
British states, 1,025 came from the
Russian Empire, mainly
Jews. In 1904 whites made up a majority in most settlements, namely
Ficksburg (52.3%),
Wepener (60.2%),
Ladybrand (60.0%), and
Kroonstad (51.6%), and made up a substantial minority in
Bloemfontein (45.7%) and
Winburg (36.3%).
Languages In the 2022 census, 72.3% of the population reported their
first language as
Sotho, 10.3% as
Afrikaans, 5.5% as
Xhosa, 5.3% as
Setswana, and 1.5% as
English. The Free State is the only province in which native Sotho-speakers form a majority of the population. It is also the province with the third-highest proportion of Afrikaans speakers, after the
Western Cape and the
Northern Cape.
Sesotho is the dominant home language in most of the province.
Zulu is the major language in the far eastern municipality of
Phumelela.
Setswana is the main language in
Tokologo in the northwest, and in and around the area of
Thaba Nchu.
Afrikaans is widely spoken throughout the province, as a first language for the majority of whites and coloureds (who constitute a minority) and as a second or third language by Sesotho, Setswana and Xhosa speakers. Although there are relatively few native English speakers, English is becoming increasingly important as the language of business and government. This is evidenced by the shift of tertiary institutions such as the
University of the Free State from solely using Afrikaans as the medium of instruction to using both Afrikaans and English, and eventually only English.
Religion The population of the Free State is overwhelmingly
Christian. As of the 2022 census, 92.7% of the population described themselves as
Christians, the third-highest proportion among South Africa's provinces. Among other religions, 4.9% of the population stated that they practiced
Traditional African religions, and 0.5% of the population described themselves as
Muslim. 1.4% of the population described themselves as being atheist, agnostic, or having no religious affiliation.
Education Approximately 34.3% of learners aged 0 - 4 did not attend any type of
Early Childhood Development(ECD) programme. According to the 2022 census, 76.8% of persons aged 5 - 24 were attending an educational institution. The overall percentage shows an increase in the percentage of attendance from the 2011 census, increasing from 73.1%. The 2022 census had a sample size of 1 763 343 individuals aged 20 and above from Free State, and only 5.0% had no schooling, while 4.1% had completed primary, 36.5% completed secondary and 10.2% attaining post school educational training. == Municipalities ==