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Insights Centre
Cities · South Africa

Johannesburg and Pretoria: what is being built, where people live and where they shop

About 11.7 million people live in the 3,818 km² mapped here. Between mid-2016 and mid-2023, 111 km² of new building footprint went up, 30% more than stood in 2016. The most went up 20 to 30 km from the centre.

People in the area mapped11.7 million2025 estimate · 10.4 million in the urban centre itself
New building, 2016 to 2023111 km²30% added to the 2016 footprint · 9.5 m² per person
Building footprint, 2023477 km²42.9 km² of it in buildings 12 m and taller
Supermarkets2,59622.3 per 100,000 people · 1,158 shopping centres
More than 15 minutes' drive from a supermarket21,0000% of people · 1.4 million more than 30 minutes' walk
Banks, clinics and pharmacies4,9851,550 bank branches · 2,352 hospitals and clinics · 1,083 pharmacies
How built up IndividualBuilding height IndividualTaller buildings Individual
Every building by the year it first appears: Individual
Loading the map…
New building since 2016
Under 10 ha10 ha to 20 ha20 ha to 25 ha25 ha to 50 ha50 ha and more
Building footprint added between mid-2016 and mid-2023, from satellite imagery (Google Open Buildings 2.5D Temporal). Free map: areas of about 5 km². The detailed map, in areas of about 0.74 km², is part of the Individual plan.
Built-up urban centreArea mapped

The detailed map of Johannesburg and Pretoria is part of the Individual plan

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Where Johannesburg is building

New building footprint by distance from the centre, the long-run picture since 1975, and how Johannesburg compares.

Most new building went up 20 to 30 km from the centre

Building footprint added between mid-2016 and mid-2023, by distance from the city centre.

0 ha10 km²20 km²30 km²40 km²41 ha0 to 2 km2.2 km²2 to 5 km7.7 km²5 to 10 km13.7 km²10 to 15km15.3 km²15 to 20km35.1 km²20 to 30km15.0 km²30 to 50km21.8 km²50 to 80km
Source: Google Open Buildings·dotzedw Insights Centre

Built-up area of the urban centre, 1975 to 2030

Square kilometres of built-up surface. 2025 and 2030 are projections.

0.0 km²100 km²200 km²300 km²400 km²500 km²600 km²197519801985199019952000200520102015202020252030
Source: GHSL, European Commission·dotzedw Insights Centre

People in the urban centre, 1975 to 2030

2025 and 2030 are projections.

0k2.0m4.0m6.0m8.0m10.0m12.0m197519801985199019952000200520102015202020252030
Source: GHSL, European Commission·dotzedw Insights Centre

New building since 2016, city by city

Building footprint added between mid-2016 and mid-2023 in each area mapped, with the increase on 2016.

Johannesburg and Pretoria111 km²30% more
Dar es Salaam54.5 km²56% more
Luanda43.5 km²53% more
Cape Town38.4 km²37% more
Durban31.4 km²31% more
Lusaka28.9 km²51% more
Kinshasa28.4 km²82% more
Harare26.4 km²48% more
Maputo and Matola25.5 km²55% more
Lilongwe13.7 km²62% more
Gaborone8.3 km²50% more
Windhoek5.4 km²42% more
Source: Google Open Buildings·dotzedw Insights Centre

Rents and prices, as reported

Prime office rent, JohannesburgUS$19 per m² a monthPrime yield 9.5%. Office vacancy across the metro about 15.5%.H1 2026 · Knight Frank, Africa Office Market Dashboard H1 2026
Average residential rent, GautengR9,600 a monthNational average R9,582 a month.Q1 2026 · PayProp Rental Index, reported by The Citizen

Quoted as published; checked 14 October 2026.

Shops and services in Johannesburg

What is mapped, which chains lead and how Johannesburg compares on supermarkets for its population.

What is mapped

Places in the area mapped, by kind.

Supermarkets, wholesalers, markets and small shops4,209
Fast food, restaurants and cafés7,908
Filling stations and hotels4,512
Clothing, furniture, hardware and electronics7,623
Banks and ATMs2,733
Shopping centres1,158
Hospitals, clinics and pharmacies3,435
Source: OpenStreetMap, Overture Maps·dotzedw Insights Centre

Supermarkets for every 100,000 people

Supermarkets mapped, against people in each area mapped.

Gaborone27.2
Windhoek24.7
Johannesburg and Pretoria22.3
Cape Town21.2
Durban16.5
Harare6.0
Lusaka4.2
Maputo and Matola3.4
Dar es Salaam3.3
Lilongwe3.3
Luanda1.4
Kinshasa1.0
Source: OpenStreetMap, Overture Maps, GHSL·dotzedw Insights Centre

The biggest chains by outlets mapped

ChainKindOutlets
CapitecBank642
NedbankBank588
Pick n PaySupermarket563
EngenFilling station442
SparSupermarket427
ClicksPharmacy408
Standard Bank / StanbicBank381
PepClothing and shoes375
KFCFast food372
WoolworthsSupermarket354

The top 25, and every outlet on the map: Individual

Catchments

21,000 people in the area mapped (0%) live more than 15 minutes' drive from a supermarket, and 1.4 million more than 30 minutes' walk from one. A catchment shows who lives within a given time of a site, using the road network at off-peak speeds: how many people, what was built there since 2016, and which shops compete for them.

  • Every shopping centre's 30-minute drive-time catchment, with people and competitors inside (Individual plan).
  • Catchments for any site you choose, by car or on foot, for 10 to 30 minutes (Professional plan).

Shopping centre catchments is part of the Individual plan

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Data built 14 October 2026. Sources and method