Rough Sleeping in Cape Town: Analysis from the 2022 Census

Introduction

The City of Cape Town Strategy to Reduce Rough Sleeping defines rough sleeping as sleeping in public or open spaces, buildings not intended for habitation, vehicles, or temporary structures, as well as in shelters and safe spaces. Rough sleeping in Cape Town is shaped by a diverse set of socio-economic, health, and family-related factors.

This analysis uses StatsSA Census 2022 data across the eight official health districts of the City of Cape Town: Eastern, Khayelitsha, Klipfontein, Mitchells Plain, Northern, Southern, Tygerberg, and Western Health Districts. The dataset was extracted from SuperCROSS, the analytical software platform used by Statistics South Africa. The platform provides data in a tabular format, aggregated for each of the geographic boundaries released by Statistics South Africa and can be found on SuperWEB.

In line with the City of Cape Town’s policy which focuses on prevention, intervention, and reintegration, the following analysis explores the key drivers and spatial distribution of rough sleeping.

Key Metrics

29.3%

Top Reasons for Rough Sleeping

No income and unemployment

68.5%

Concentration of Rough Sleeping

Tygerberg & Western Health Districts

Leading Causes of Rough Sleeping

The distribution of reported reasons for rough sleeping shows that economic factors dominate. “No income” and”loss of employment” account for the largest shares, highlighting the central role of income insecurity in driving rough sleeping across the city.

Social and household disruptions such as conflict with family or friends, substance use, and the inability to afford accommodation, form a second tier of contributing factors, reflecting the cumulative pressures faced by vulnerable households.

Health-related issues and exposure to violence appear less frequently, while reasons such as crime, divorce, or natural disasters account for relatively small proportions of reported cases. A notable share of responses is classified as Other or Do not know, suggesting complexity in lived experiences and potential under-reporting of underlying causes.

Overall, the pattern underscores that rough sleeping in Cape Town is primarily driven by structural economic vulnerability, often compounded by social and personal challenges rather than isolated events.

Main reasons for rough sleeping Source: Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Census 2022 SuperCROSS software

Distribution of Rough Sleeping Across Health Districts

The spatial analysis below shows that rough sleeping in Cape Town is highly uneven across the official health districts, with a small number of districts accounting for the largest share of the total.

Tygerberg Health District stands out as the area with the highest proportion of rough sleepers, contributing 36.6% of the total. This is followed by the Western Health District, which accounts for 31.9%, making these two districts together responsible for more than two‑thirds of all recorded rough sleeping.

In contrast, districts such as Northern, Mitchells Plain, and Khayelitsha contribute relatively small proportions (each 2–3% of the total). These areas have lower concentrations of rough sleeping despite their significant population sizes and large geographic footprints, indicating a spatial imbalance in where rough sleeping is most visible and concentrated.

Mid‑range districts such as Klipfontein (4.5%), Southern (8.4%), and Eastern (11.8%) show moderate contributions, reflecting a more mixed profile shaped by varying local socio-economic conditions, service availability, and urban form.

Overall, the results illustrate a clear clustering of rough sleeping in the Tygerberg and Western districts, which appear to function as major urban nodes for people experiencing rough sleeping, with economic activity a key influencing factor.

Map of the distribution of rough sleeping Source: Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Census 2022 SuperCROSS software