Multi-racial households surge in South Africa - IOL

There has been a shift in how South Africans live and form families, with intermarriage, migration, urbanisation and greater social mobility contributing to increasingly integrated households.

Just over two decades ago, households made up of South Africans from different racial groups were comparatively rare. Today, more than one in 10 households is multi-racial.

The proportion has risen from just 1.3% in 2001 and 1.7% in 2011 to 11.4% in 2022, with most of the change taking place in the decade between the last two censuses.

This is according to Statistics South Africa, which defines a multi-racial household as one in which two or more people from different population groups live together as one household. These include black African, white, coloured, Indian or Asian, and other population groups.

“The rise of multi-racial households between 2001 and 2022 illustrates how South Africa’s rich and diverse heritage has increasingly found expression within homes and families, reflecting the social transformation that has accompanied democracy,” it says.

Statistics South Africa says the shift reflects changes in how South Africans live and form families, with intermarriage, migration, urbanisation and greater social mobility contributing to increasingly integrated households.

However, the picture differs considerably across the country.

The Western Cape has the highest proportion of multi-racial households, where they account for almost one in five households. Gauteng follows, while Limpopo has the lowest proportion.

Statistics South Africa says this partly reflects the racial make-up of individual provinces, with multi-racial households more common in areas with more diverse populations.

More than four in five multi-racial households were located in urban areas in each of the three censuses studied.

Johannesburg and Cape Town stand out among South Africa's metros, although multi-racial households are increasingly found outside the country's major cities.

More than four in five multi-racial households were located in urban areas in each of the three censuses studied. However, the proportion living outside urban areas has also grown, from about 15% in 2001 to more than 18% in 2022.

Indeed, about two in five multi-racial households are now found in non-metropolitan municipalities.

The make-up of these households has changed substantially too. In 2001, large households were common, with almost three in 10 multi-racial households containing six or more people. By 2022, they accounted for fewer than one in 25.

At the same time, three-person households have become dominant. Fewer than one in five fell into this category in 2001, compared with almost half by 2022, according to the Census figures.

“In terms of living arrangements and culture in general, South African society continues to adopt new ways of living, including mixed-race household formation, and these emerging social interaction patterns have an impact on household size,” says the agency.

Two-person households have also become considerably more common, while the proportion containing five people has fallen sharply.

“The rise of multi-racial households in South Africa is a direct reflection of democratic freedom in several aspects of life,” says Statistics South Africa.

It says the increase reflects greater cultural integration through urbanisation, migration and education, as well as the freedom to marry, cohabit and form families across racial lines. It argues the changing composition of households shows how broader social transformation has extended into family and community life.