The municipal area consists of 22 wards, and traditional areas comprise of 46% of the region. The population of Umzimkhulu is in an area that covers 2,435.4 km². Of the population, about 90.8% reside in rural areas, while the remaining 9.2% are urban based. The population density is 71.6 persons/km². The map following depicts the wards and the Tribal Authority of the municipal area.