At almost 3,2 million, Gauteng has the largest number of households of any of the provinces in South Africa. It also has the smallest average household size, at an average of 3.3 people per household, compared to a national average of 3.9 per household. The proportion of total national households in Gauteng is increasing, and the average household size is coming down.

The fact that household sizes are decreasing reflects, in part, freedom of movement and the growing black economic base in post-apartheid South Africa.