Cape Town named as place with the ‘best community spirit in Africa’

Cape Town topped the list for Africa, ahead of Johannesburg and Pretoria, with 0.3 Meetup groups available per 10,000 residents Picture: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers

Cape Town topped the list for Africa, ahead of Johannesburg and Pretoria, with 0.3 Meetup groups available per 10,000 residents Picture: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers

Published Jan 23, 2024

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Finding the right place to live and work are a few of the most important parts of moving to a new city. But it's equally important to find a community of friends who share similar interests and passions.

Remitly analysed data from the popular social media app Meetup to discover which cities have the highest number of communities per person.

This was revealed by counting the amount of available Meetup groups within the city and surrounding area, and accounting for population size.

Cape Town topped the list for Africa, ahead of Johannesburg and Pretoria, with 0.3 Meetup groups available per 10,000 residents and a vast range of options from dog lover communities to meditation groups.

When it comes to African cities with the strongest sense of community, Cape Town took the lead in the rankings, boasting a remarkable 153 Meetup groups.

This translated to approximately 0.3 groups per 10,000 residents when considering the population size.

Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, secured the second position with a substantial total of 133 groups, while Pretoria claimed the third spot with 15 Meetup groups available for exploration.

“A strong sense of community can increase your sense of belonging and purpose, and prevent any feelings of isolation and loneliness that can be common when moving somewhere new,” commented Jago McKenzie, Business Management Director at Remitly.

“Community groups and meetups are not new but the way we access them has changed drastically in the social media age, using platforms such as Meetup is a brilliant way to find the best groups for you to connect with quickly and easily.”

IOL Travel