The Demography of the Maputo Province

The Maputo Province is located in southern Mozambique, bordered by the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of e-Swatini, a key geographical condition among the reasons for fast demographic growth, side by side with higher job opportunities internally and regionally along with the proximity with Maputo city, the capital of the Republic of Mozambique. At the same time, internal and international migrants either use the Province as the final destination or as transit to access the neighbouring countries. This chapter is drawn on readings and published articles on different aspects of migration and population studies in Mozambique and Maputo, based on the long-term research trajectory of the author. Available data illustrate the demographic dynamics of the Province from the first post-independence census held in Mozambique in the year 1980 up to the most recent of 2017. The trends emerging from them demonstrate that Maputo Province is not far from the so-called “immigration crisis threshold” as the faster growth has pressurized local infrastructures and is a gate for irregular migration.