Population & Demographics¶
District-level population data by race and urban/rural status, from South African population censuses (1904-1996).
Key Distinction: Two Data Types¶
| Type | Location | Format | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate distributions | population_distributions/ |
Stata .dta | District-level counts by race, year — for panel analysis |
| Census microdata | population_census/ |
Stata .dta | Individual-level records (100K+ rows) — for detailed cross-sections |
For most panel work, you want the aggregate distributions (one row per district-year).
Aggregate Distributions (population_distributions/)¶
| File | Description |
|---|---|
populations.dta |
Main panel: population by district, race, urban/rural |
bw_distributions*.dta |
Black/white distributions |
cdistributions.dta |
District-level distributions |
maize_suit.dta |
Maize suitability by district (geographic control) |
Coverage: 1904-1996 (varies by race and area)
1970 Population Weights¶
| File | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
district_black_rural_share_1970.csv |
population_census/ |
Black rural population share by district |
Derived from the 1970 census 5% sample. Formula: popshareblackrural = btot_rur / tot_ (black rural / total population). Used as regression weights in the 1974 shock analysis.
Census Microdata (population_census/)¶
Individual-level records for detailed analysis. Large files (1980 census is ~2GB).
| Year | Sample | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Full (by race) | Separate files for Whites, Coloureds, Indians |
| 1970 | African 5%, others full | First with comprehensive occupation coding |
| 1980 | Full | Provincial splits — caution: homeland exclusions |
| 1985 | Full | Area-based files |
| 1991 | Full | Last apartheid census |
| 1996 | Full | First post-apartheid census |
1980 Census Coverage
By 1980, "independent" homelands (Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda) were treated as foreign countries and excluded from enumeration. Black population figures for 1980 are unreliable in homeland areas. Use 1970 and 1991 for cross-temporal comparisons.
Provenance¶
- Source: South African Population Censuses, published by Department of Statistics / CSS
- Microdata: DataFirst/SALDRU, University of Cape Town (access restrictions apply)
- Aggregate distributions: Compiled from published census tables