Living in Orkney

Orkney is a city in North West, South Africa, home to 110,052 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are young families (top 8%, #27 of 367), low-income households (top 12%, #64 of 578), low-income families (top 15%, #54 of 367).

Residents110,052

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport170 km (Lanseria International)

Nearest city of 100k+Itself

Within 30 km437,600 people

Climate typeHot semi-arid (BSh)

Terrain around itabout 1,310 m, height range 30 m

Nearest major riverVaal, 2.8 km

Main railway lineunder 1 km

Distance to Bloemfontein242 km

Within 10 km117,404 people

Winter daylight13 h 50 min, sunset 18:07

See Orkney on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Orkney

On the shortest day the sun is up for 13 h 50 min and sets around 18:07; in late June it sets around 17:28.

How Orkney ranks

Scores run 0 to 100 against every municipality in South Africa. Ranks count only the places that pass each profile's minimums, so the totals differ by profile. Regional overview: population, geography and modelled indicators for costs, schools and safety.

Profile	Score	In South Africa	In North West
Young family	63	#27 of 367	#4 of 28	Map
Low-income household	67	#64 of 578	#4 of 43	Map
Low-income family	65	#54 of 367	#4 of 28	Map
Single parent	67	#54 of 367	#4 of 28	Map
Pensioner couple	69	#173 of 367	#9 of 28	Map
Single pensioner	76	#123 of 367	#9 of 28	Map
Early retiree	68	#142 of 578	#9 of 43	Map
Single professional	60	#66 of 224	#4 of 19	Map
Young professional	63	#64 of 204	#4 of 17	Map
DINKS	62	#66 of 164	#4 of 12	Map
Remote worker	70	#133 of 578	#8 of 43	Map
Commuter	78	#56 of 212	#3 of 17	Map
Car-free household	66	#69 of 168	#5 of 14	Map
Student		not ranked: below the minimum for campus	–	Map
First-home buyer	67	#56 of 367	#4 of 28	Map
Budget-constrained mover	57	#86 of 578	#8 of 43	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	55	#69 of 186	#5 of 15	Map
Expat professional	54	#98 of 578	#7 of 43	Map
Healthcare-first mover	61	#95 of 367	#6 of 28	Map
Nature-focused household	31	#479 of 578	#38 of 43	Map
Cross-border commuter	13	#152 of 578	#11 of 43	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	0	#571 of 578	#42 of 43	Map
Rural value seeker	33	#449 of 578	#38 of 43	Map
High-net-worth mover	65	#60 of 578	#6 of 43	Map
Lottery winner	57	#83 of 578	#7 of 43	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	55	#560 of 578	#40 of 43	Map
Coastal living		not ranked: below the minimum for coast	–	Map
Business owner	64	#105 of 578	#7 of 43	Map
Digital native	45	#79 of 233	#6 of 19	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Flat land (terrain relief)98
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)86
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)79
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)74
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)70
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)65
Lifestyle and amenities64
Foundation64
Jobs and economy62
Mobility and connectivity53
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)40
Affordability38
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)30
Green space16
Education and family16
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)11
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)11
Port access (major sea or inland port)0
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)0
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)0
National border nearby (straight line)0
Financial centre (banking and capital markets) within commuting distance0
Commodity-trading or gold hub within commuting distance0
Crypto hub within commuting distance0
Wealth-management centre within commuting distance0

Nearby

Data: Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024; locations EDJNet LAU centres; airports OurAirports; coastline Natural Earth. Updated 2026-10-31. Rankings are decision aids, not advice.