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World Measure
The population almanac240 countries · 31,365 cities · UN WPP 2024
City profile · South Africa · Africa

Pietermaritzburg

KwaZulu-Natal · South Africa
City population
839,327
#8
in South Africa
#2
in KwaZulu-Natal
#670
worldwide
PretoriaPietermaritzburg
-29.617, 30.393 · 482 km from Pretoria
City population
839,327
Within the city boundary, not a metro area
Rank in South Africa
#8
of 295 cities of 15,000+
World rank
#670
of 31,365 cities listed
Share of South Africa
1.3%
of the national population

About Pietermaritzburg

Sitting at 636 m elevation, this city holds a population of 839,327 and ranks eighth among South Africa's listed cities. It accounts for 1.3% of the national population and stands as the second-largest city in KwaZulu-Natal. Located 482 km from the national capital, it sits within a cluster of smaller urban centres, including Mpophomeni 21 km away and Howick 22 km distant.

This summary is AI-generated from the figures on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.

Position in South Africa
#8of 295
LargestSmallest
Position in KwaZulu-Natal
#2of 38
LargestSmallest

Key Facts

Country
South Africa
Region
KwaZulu-Natal
Rank in region
#2of 38
Distance to capital
482 km
to Pretoria
Elevation
636 m
Approximate — modelled, not surveyed
Time zone
Africa/Johannesburg
Coordinates
-29.617, 30.393
Record updated
2026-04-14
Entry edited, not measured

City population, GeoNames. GeoNames publishes no year for its population figures, so “record updated” is when the entry was last edited — not the date the population was measured. Elevation is modelled from a digital elevation model rather than surveyed, so it is approximate.

Nearby Cities

All 295 in South Africa

Closest listed cities by great-circle distance from the city centre.

21KMMpophomeni31K people22KMHowick32K people31KMRichmond32K people32KMMpumalanga140K people53KMPinetown144K people

Compared with the World's Largest Cities

City-proper population against the fifteen largest cities in the dataset.

  1. Shanghai24.9M
  2. Beijing19M
  3. Shenzhen17.5M
  4. Guangzhou16.1M
  5. Kinshasa16M
  6. Istanbul15.7M
  7. Lagos15.4M
  8. Ho Chi Minh City14M
  9. Chengdu13.6M
  10. Lahore13M
  11. Mumbai12.7M
  12. São Paulo12.4M
  13. Mexico City12.3M
  14. Karachi11.6M
  15. Tianjin11.1M
  16. Pietermaritzburg839K
City-proper figures only. Administrative boundaries differ between countries, so these are not directly comparable to metropolitan-area estimates.
Pietermaritzburg compared with the fifteen largest cities
NameCity population
Shanghai24.9M
Beijing19M
Shenzhen17.5M
Guangzhou16.1M
Kinshasa16M
Istanbul15.7M
Lagos15.4M
Ho Chi Minh City14M
Chengdu13.6M
Lahore13M
Mumbai12.7M
São Paulo12.4M
Mexico City12.3M
Karachi11.6M
Tianjin11.1M
Pietermaritzburg839K

Pietermaritzburg Population FAQ

What is the population of Pietermaritzburg?

Pietermaritzburg has a city population of 839,327. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.

Where is Pietermaritzburg?

Pietermaritzburg is in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 482 km from the capital, Pretoria. Its coordinates are -29.617, 30.393.

How big is Pietermaritzburg compared with other cities in South Africa?

It is the 8th largest of the 295 cities of 15,000 or more listed in South Africa, holding 1.3% of the national population.

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South AfricaAll 295 citiesKwaZulu-Natal38 cities in the regionCountry profileSouth Africa population & indicators