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Emalahleni Population

Population · latest official estimate
373,403

Emalahleni is the 20th largest city in South Africa, with a population of about 373,000 — 0.6% of the country's 65.7 million people — about as many people as the whole of Guadeloupe. Worldwide it ranks #1445 among 5,279 cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants.

Quick facts

GeoNames · UN WPP
Population
373,403
city proper · GeoNames
Rank in South Africa
#20 of 71
largest cities tracked
World rank
#1445
of 5,279 cities ≥ 100k
Region
Mpumalanga
first-level division
Status
Local seat
Elevation
1,629 m
above sea level
Time zone
UTC+2
Africa/Johannesburg
Coordinates
25.87°S 29.23°E
Share of country
0.6%
of 65.66M people

Emalahleni overview

Updated October 2026
Johannesburg · 9,418,183Cape Town · 4,772,846Durban · 3,338,026Pretoria · 2,112,693Soweto · 1,695,047Gqeberha · 1,050,078Soshanguve · 872,309Pietermaritzburg · 839,327Evaton · 725,468Benoni · 605,344Bloemfontein · 556,637Thembisa · 511,655East London · 478,676Vereeniging · 474,681Boksburg · 445,168Welkom · 431,944Newcastle · 404,838Krugersdorp · 378,821Rustenburg · 373,695Randburg · 337,053Roodepoort · 326,416Botshabelo · 309,714Brakpan · 305,692Kariega · 291,052Polokwane · 272,461Germiston · 255,863Richards Bay · 252,968Vanderbijlpark · 246,754Paarl · 236,910Centurion · 236,580Klerksdorp · 227,039Somerset West · 225,289Mdantsane · 205,504Middelburg · 196,263George · 188,580Carletonville · 182,304Potchefstroom · 178,285Mthatha · 164,848KwaDukuza · 161,177Westonaria · 156,831Emalahleni · 373,403Emalahleni

Emalahleni (orange) and the other large cities of South Africa

Emalahleni lies in Mpumalanga in South Africa at 25.87°S, 29.23°E, about 1,629 m above sea level. The local time zone is Africa/Johannesburg (UTC+2); GeoNames classifies it as a local seat.

It is smaller than Rustenburg (373,695) and larger than Randburg (337,053). The largest city in South Africa is Johannesburg with 9,418,183 people; the capital, Pretoria, has 2,112,693.

The national capital, Pretoria, is about 106 km away; the nearest large city is Middelburg, 26 km from Emalahleni.

South Africa as a whole has a live population of 65,656,172 (+1.1% a year) and ranks #24 of 238 countries — see the South Africa population page for the full statistics and the South Africa atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.

Cities near Emalahleni

Within 200 km · straight-line distance
CityDistancePopulation
Middelburg
Mpumalanga
26 km196,263
Somaroboro
Mpumalanga
71 km114,369
eMbalenhle
Mpumalanga
75 km142,443
Etwatwa
Gauteng
83 km151,866
Brakpan
Gauteng
95 km305,692
Benoni
Gauteng
98 km605,344
Nigel
Gauteng
98 km140,644
Thembisa
Gauteng
102 km511,655

Largest cities in South Africa

Top 10 · all 71 →
#CityRegionPopulation
1JohannesburgGauteng9,418,183
2Cape TownWestern Cape4,772,846
3DurbanKwaZulu-Natal3,338,026
4PretoriaCapitalGauteng2,112,693
5SowetoGauteng1,695,047
6GqeberhaEastern Cape1,050,078
7SoshanguveGauteng872,309
8PietermaritzburgKwaZulu-Natal839,327
9EvatonGauteng725,468
10BenoniGauteng605,344

Frequently asked questions

What is the population of Emalahleni?

Emalahleni has about 373,403 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.

Is Emalahleni the capital of South Africa?

No. The capital of South Africa is Pretoria (2,112,693 people), about 106 km away. Emalahleni is the 20th largest city of the country and a local seat.

How big is Emalahleni compared with the rest of South Africa?

Its 373,403 residents are 0.6% of the 65,656,172 people living in South Africa today. Johannesburg is larger with 9,418,183 people.

Where is Emalahleni?

In Mpumalanga, South Africa, at latitude -25.87 and longitude 29.23, 1,629 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Middelburg (26 km), Somaroboro (71 km), eMbalenhle (75 km).

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Free to reuse with attribution
APAGlostats. (2026). Emalahleni Population 2026 — South Africa. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/south-africa/emalahleni/
HTML<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/south-africa/emalahleni/">Emalahleni Population 2026 — South Africa</a> — Glostats

Figures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.

City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Distances are great-circle distances between city centres. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.