Key Stats
| Category | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Continent: | Africa |
| Capital: | Cape Town (legislative). Pretoria (administrative). Bloemfontein (judicial) |
| Population: | 61,020,221 |
| % Urban: | 67.8 % |
| Population Under 15 Yrs: | 29 % |
| Official Language: | – all the major ethnic languages. English and Afrikaans are the main languages in higher education |
| Languages: | 11 |
| Literacy Rate: | 93 % |
| Life Expectancy: | 62.3 yrs (206/236) |
| HDI Ranking: | 109 / 189 |
| % Christian: | 75.2 % |
| % Evangelical: | 21.1 % |
| Largest Religion: | Christian |
| % Largest Religion: | 75.2 % |
| People Groups: | 65 |
| Least Reached People Groups: | 8 |
| % Unevangelized: | 2 % |
South Africa
Prayer initiatives begun in South Africa went on to impact the whole world! The Global Day of Prayer started in Cape Town (2001), and Christians from almost every country joined in this event on Pentecost Sunday. Other prayer movements like Transformation Africa and Jericho Walls also influence many nations. Large scale prayer events like “It’s Time” in 2017 demonstrate South Africa’s continued legacy in prayer. Biblical Christianity has a strong legacy in South Africa. But poverty, injustice, corruption, and terrible violence are alarmingly widespread for a nation with so many claiming to be Christian. Pray for the many Christian agencies that serve among the needy sections of society.
South Africa
Pray for all in government and leadership, that the priorities would be justice, righteousness, and economic improvement for all. Greater transparency, a more mature democracy, and free press, would all help combat corruption and deception. The nation faces high rates of rape and violent crime. The legacy of racism and injustice do not justify the lawlessness and wickedness evident. Pray that the spirit of violence, both physical and sexual, might be bound under the authority of Christ.
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Content taken or adapted from Operation World, 7th Edition (2010) and Pray for the World (2015). Both books are published by InterVarsity Press. All rights reserved.