KwaZulu-Natal is served by 54 municipalities: 1 metropolitan, 10 district and 43 local. Together they cover 12 423 908 residents across 186 170 square kilometres.
12 423 908residents of KwaZulu-Natal recorded in Census 2022, across 54 municipalities
KwaZulu-Natal at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Municipalities | 54 |
| Metropolitan | 1 |
| District | 10 |
| Local | 43 |
| Population | 12 423 908 |
| Area | 186 170 km2 |
| Combined annual spending | R109.8 billion |
| Clean audits | 4 |
| Disclaimed audits | 0 |
| Coalition governed | 10 |
| Average financial health score | 49.8 |
Metropolitan municipalities
| Metro | Population | Expenditure | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| eThekwini | 4 239 901 | R61.2 billion | C |
District municipalities and what they cover
| District | Local municipalities | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Amajuba | Dannhauser, Emadlangeni, Newcastle | F |
| Harry Gwala | Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Greater Kokstad, Johannes Phumani Phungula, Umzimkhulu | D |
| iLembe | KwaDukuza, Mandeni, Maphumulo, Ndwedwe | C |
| King Cetshwayo | uMhlathuze, Mthonjaneni, Nkandla, Mfolozi, uMlalazi | B |
| Ugu | Ray Nkonyeni, Umdoni, uMuziwabantu, Umzumbe | E |
| uMgungundlovu | Impendle, Mkhambathini, Mpofana, Msunduzi, Richmond, uMngeni, uMshwathi | D |
| Umkhanyakude | Hlabisa Big Five, Mtubatuba, Jozini, Umhlabuyalingana | E |
| Umzinyathi | Endumeni, Nquthu, Msinga, Umvoti | E |
| Uthukela | Alfred Duma, Inkosi Langalibalele, Okhahlamba | E |
| Zululand | Abaqulusi, eDumbe, Nongoma, Ulundi, uPhongolo | E |
Largest municipalities by population
| Municipality | Population | Area km2 | People per km2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| eThekwini | 4 239 901 | 2 556 | 1 658.8 |
| Msunduzi | 817 725 | 751 | 1 088.8 |
| Newcastle | 507 710 | 1 856 | 273.6 |
| Alfred Duma | 415 036 | 3 764 | 110.3 |
| uMhlathuze | 412 075 | 1 233 | 334.2 |
| Ray Nkonyeni | 362 134 | 1 487 | 243.5 |
| KwaDukuza | 324 912 | 740 | 439.1 |
| Abaqulusi | 247 263 | 4 314 | 57.3 |
| uMlalazi | 241 416 | 2 214 | 109.0 |
| Inkosi Langalibalele | 230 924 | 3 399 | 67.9 |
Financial health across KwaZulu-Natal
The strongest finances in the province belong to Msinga, scoring 86.9 out of 100 with a grade of A. The weakest are Amajuba at 19.0, a grade of F.
| Municipality | Type | Grade | Score | Audit outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Msinga | Local | A | 86.9 | Financially unqualified |
| Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma | Local | B | 79.2 | Financially unqualified |
| Nkandla | Local | B | 77.2 | Financially unqualified |
| Hlabisa Big Five | Local | B | 77.0 | Financially unqualified |
| Richmond | Local | B | 73.9 | Clean audit |
| Johannes Phumani Phungula | Local | B | 72.1 | Financially unqualified |
| King Cetshwayo | District | B | 72.0 | Clean audit |
| KwaDukuza | Local | B | 71.6 | Financially unqualified |
| uMshwathi | Local | C | 69.8 | Financially unqualified |
| uMngeni | Local | C | 67.4 | Financially unqualified |
| Alfred Duma | Local | C | 66.6 | Financially unqualified |
| Maphumulo | Local | C | 65.8 | Financially unqualified |
| Nquthu | Local | C | 65.6 | Financially unqualified |
| Greater Kokstad | Local | C | 65.0 | Financially unqualified |
| uMhlathuze | Local | C | 63.7 | Clean audit |
| Mfolozi | Local | C | 63.3 | Financially unqualified |
| Umhlabuyalingana | Local | C | 62.5 | Financially unqualified |
| uMlalazi | Local | C | 61.9 | Clean audit |
| iLembe | District | C | 59.9 | Financially unqualified |
| Mandeni | Local | C | 59.9 | Financially unqualified |
| Mkhambathini | Local | C | 59.8 | Financially unqualified |
| Umzimkhulu | Local | C | 58.8 | Financially unqualified |
| Ndwedwe | Local | C | 56.6 | Financially unqualified |
| eThekwini | Metropolitan | C | 56.5 | Financially unqualified |
| Harry Gwala | District | D | 53.1 | Financially unqualified |
| uMgungundlovu | District | D | 53.0 | Financially unqualified |
| Umvoti | Local | D | 52.6 | Financially unqualified |
| uMuziwabantu | Local | D | 51.4 | Financially unqualified |
| Msunduzi | Local | D | 46.0 | Financially unqualified |
| Inkosi Langalibalele | Local | D | 45.6 | Qualified audit |
| Umdoni | Local | D | 45.3 | Financially unqualified |
| Newcastle | Local | D | 44.0 | Financially unqualified |
| Mtubatuba | Local | D | 43.4 | Financially unqualified |
| Emadlangeni | Local | D | 42.1 | Financially unqualified |
| Jozini | Local | D | 41.4 | Financially unqualified |
| Mpofana | Local | E | 39.9 | Financially unqualified |
| Ulundi | Local | E | 38.8 | Financially unqualified |
| Zululand | District | E | 38.7 | Financially unqualified |
| Ugu | District | E | 38.5 | Financially unqualified |
| Ray Nkonyeni | Local | E | 31.4 | Financially unqualified |
| uPhongolo | Local | E | 30.9 | Financially unqualified |
| Okhahlamba | Local | E | 30.7 | Financially unqualified |
| Endumeni | Local | E | 30.1 | Qualified audit |
| Abaqulusi | Local | E | 29.8 | Financially unqualified |
| Umkhanyakude | District | E | 29.3 | Qualified audit |
| Uthukela | District | E | 29.3 | Qualified audit |
| eDumbe | Local | E | 28.3 | Financially unqualified |
| Umzinyathi | District | E | 27.4 | Qualified audit |
| Dannhauser | Local | E | 27.2 | Financially unqualified |
| Nongoma | Local | F | 24.8 | Qualified audit |
| Mthonjaneni | Local | F | 22.7 | Financially unqualified |
| Umzumbe | Local | F | 22.3 | Financially unqualified |
| Impendle | Local | F | 21.8 | Adverse audit |
| Amajuba | District | F | 19.0 | Qualified audit |
Household services
Across the 44 metropolitan and local municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, an average of 34.8% of households have piped water inside the dwelling.
| Municipality | Piped water inside | Electricity | Weekly refuse |
|---|---|---|---|
| eThekwini | 69.8% | 98.5% | 80.7% |
| Msunduzi | 54.5% | 98.0% | 56.6% |
| Newcastle | 58.2% | 96.6% | 73.2% |
| Alfred Duma | 50.5% | 96.0% | 58.5% |
| uMhlathuze | 58.0% | 99.2% | 55.3% |
| Ray Nkonyeni | 42.5% | 98.1% | 39.8% |
| KwaDukuza | 52.6% | 98.5% | 72.8% |
| Abaqulusi | 46.4% | 90.3% | 53.9% |
| uMlalazi | 31.3% | 96.0% | 28.6% |
| Inkosi Langalibalele | 31.1% | 92.3% | 31.4% |
| Nongoma | 20.1% | 96.6% | 14.9% |
| Ulundi | 39.8% | 97.9% | 37.7% |
Browse every municipality in the province, with full contact details and five years of figures, on the KwaZulu-Natal page.
Figures on this page come from National Treasury, Statistics South Africa and the Auditor-General, as set out in the sources and methodology. Read the methodology